• letter
  • print
  • follow
A fall victim is taken to an Airlift Northwest medivac helicopter at South Whidbey High School late Monday. - Jeff VanDerford / The Record
A fall victim is taken to an Airlift Northwest medivac helicopter at South Whidbey High School late Monday.
Jeff VanDerford / The Record
related stories
South Whidbey Record
Whidbey Island
News blogs
  • Crime Time
    The latest from South Whidbey’s police blotter and the Record’s siren chasers
  • The Newsroom
    Get the inside scoop on what the newsroom is working on at The South Whidbey Record

Man airlifted to Seattle after fall


Oct 13 2009

A 70-year-old Clinton resident was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Monday afternoon after he fell from a ladder.

Island County Fire District 3 Deputy Chief Jon Beck said Tuesday that the man was on a 20-foot extension ladder using a chainsaw to trim a cedar tree behind his house off Holst Road near Hilltop Drive when the fall occurred.

Beck said the man apparently sustained a head injury. He was discovered by a neighbor about 20 minutes after the fall, and the neighbor called 911.

Fire district units and Whidbey General Hospital Emergency Medical Services personnel responded. The EMS crew administered medical assistance while Beck summoned the helicopter, Beck said.

The victim was transported to Waterman Field at South Whidbey High School to await an Airlift Northwest medivac helicopter.

The helicopter came and went in about 20 minutes.

Information on the extent of the victim’s injuries was not available as of the Record’s deadline on Tuesday.

The evacuation cut short practice by the high school’s cross country and football teams.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the PNWLocalNews.com community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.

So keep your comments:

  • Civil
  • Smart
  • On-topic
  • Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by registering for an account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters.

As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Flag" button on each comment if they feel the comment has violated the rules. You can also use the up and down arrows on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment.

Want to tell us something but you don't want it to be public? Talk to us privately.