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Number Of Ranger Rescues Soaring At Acadia National Park

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Published Date

August 14, 2021

There has been a 65 percent increase in rescues at Acadia National Park this year compared to 2019/NPS file

Two water-related accidents at Acadia National Park in Maine required Life Flight missions to get the individuals to a hospital. 

The first accident occurred at Sand Beach at approximately 2:48 p.m. Friday. A visitor flagged down a lifeguard to assist an 18-year-old man in the ocean. Rangers responded with the assistance of bystanders and a trauma nurse to stabilize the patient on a backboard, a park release said.

The patient was carried from Sand Beach to the parking lot, where a Bar Harbor ambulance was waiting. The patient was then transferred via Life Flight to Bangor at approximately 3:30 p.m. Witnesses stated that the 18-year-old was seen diving into a shallow area, the release said. 

The second accident occurred on the Cannon Brook Trail. At approximately 3:58 p.m. Friday a caller to 911 reported a 6-year-old boy had fallen approximately 50 feet into a water pool along the trail and suffered head and neck injuries. Rangers and Bar Harbor Fire Department paramedics responded to the accident. Maine Forest Service conducted a short haul to transfer the patient to a Life Flight in Bar Harbor at approximately 7 p.m.

According to park staff, the boy's family had been swimming in the water pool and the child slid down a slope and continued into the water. 

Friday also brought additional 911 calls overlapping with the two water-related accidents, including vehicle and bicyclist conflicts and a bicycle accident involving a 13-year-old on the carriage roads.

On Thursday, there was a rescue involving a 32-year-old woman who suffered a medical emergency on Gorham Mountain at approximately 1:30 p.m., and another involving a 58-year-old man with a knee injury on the South Ridge of Sargent Mountain.

The Maine Forest Service attempted a short haul for the Sargent Mountain rescue, but was unable to conduct the operation due to fog. This required park staff and Mount Desert Island Search and Rescue volunteers to divert resources from Gorham to Sargent to step in for a carry-out.

The accidents were just the latest in a busy year for rangers, as this year Acadia has seen a 65 percent increase in rescues above the 2019 calendar year. 

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