Man Injured After Falling from Ledge on Hike. Officials Stayed with Him Overnight Until He Was Rescued

Authorities in Arizona went above and beyond after a hiker fell from a ledge on New Year’s Day, triggering a difficult and weather-challenged rescue.

In a Friday, Jan. 2 news release, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded around 5:55 p.m. local time on Jan. 1 after a 55-year-old man suffered a serious leg injury in a fall while hiking.

Rescue efforts were complicated by severe environmental conditions. Officials said plunging temperatures and steady precipitation created a growing risk of hypothermia, with both the injured hiker and members of the rescue team beginning to show symptoms. Flooding in the area further limited the team’s ability to safely move the man to a secure location.

With conditions worsening, search and rescue personnel made the decision to remain with the injured hiker throughout the night. The team started a fire to help keep him warm and monitored his condition while awaiting safer extraction options.

Inclement weather also ruled out aerial assistance and forced the cancellation of multiple planned rescue attempts. As a result, sheriff’s deputies contacted the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) to request support from a Black Hawk helicopter.

“Following a night of coordination on the mountain, the Black Hawk crew successfully extracted the patient at 7:45 a.m. today [Friday, Jan. 2] and transported him to the waiting medical personnel,” officials said.

Yavapai County Forest Patrol Deputy Jason Kaufman described the operation as highly complex, explaining to Fox affiliate KSAZ that rescuers must “plan two or three steps ahead” in situations like this.

Kaufman also said he made the call for the rescue team to stay overnight with the hiker, noting that members are trained in essential survival skills. “They’re trained in basic survival techniques: lighting fires, splints, and providing a lean-to shelter for people who are injured in extreme predicaments,” he told KSAZ.

The sheriff’s office reported that deputies handled two additional rescue calls on New Year’s Day. In Wickenburg, authorities responded to the Blue Tank Wash area after receiving a report of a lost female hiker. She was later located by a deputy and safely returned to her vehicle.

In a separate incident in Sedona, a deputy responded to a report of a lost male hiker. That individual was found on a trail and escorted to safety without further incident.