A Vancouver woman died in a fall from Panther Creek falls Friday night.
The fatality was followed by two rescue efforts by Skamania County Sheriff and local agencies on July 14.
At approximately 7:10 p.m., the sheriff’s office was notified of the victim at the falls, north of Carson, Wash.
The victim was Leslie N. Mar, 23, who could not be resuscinated and died of injuries sustained in a 100-foot fall, according to Patrick Bond, undersheriff.
A law enforcement officer received the initial information and reponded along with Skamania County EMS, Skamania County deputies, and Fire District No. 2.
The forest service officer took a report from a witness who saw the hiker fall, and was able to reach her and attempted life-saving measures, Bond said. Mar could not be resuscitated and died of her injuries.
According to Bond, Mar and her hiking partner had been hiking on or near the ledge of the falls. Her partner turned after nearing their destination and watched as she slipped and fell.
Due to the rugged location and hours of darkness, Mar’s body was recovered the next morning by members of the Clark County Search and Rescue and Skamania County EMS Ropes team. An autopsy will be conducted by the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office in Vancouver.
On Saturday at 11:18 a.m., the sheriff’s office received information of an injured hiker on Mount St. Helens, who had slipped and fallen near the Monitor Ridge climbing route. The hiker had possibly sustained a severe hip injury, a deputy was advised. The deputy, along with the Volcano Rescue Team, responded on the ground and the sheriff’s office asked for air assist. A United States Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched from Astoria, and was able to extract the injured hiker, Brittney A. Fintel, 32, of Omaha, Neb., and transport her to a metro hospital. Her condition at press time was unknown.
At 1:38 p.m., deputies were alerted to two subjects trapped on a rock within Lava Canyon, near Cougar. A forest service officer responded and called for the Volcano Rescue Team, which came directly from the Mount St. Helens operation. The responders were able to get the hikers back to the riverbank and no injuries were reported.
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