Rescuers carry hiker struck by lightning down mountain after he refused help for a full day
A hiker who was struck by lightning in the White Mountains Saturday night refused assistance and spent the next day slowly trying to make his way down the mountain before officials intervened and forced him to accept their help, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
Around 9:30 Sunday night, Fish and Game officials received a report that a man on Crawford Path felt weak and had likely been struck by lightning. Firefighters from Twin Mountain were dispatched to the scene and found Glen Rowland, a 51-year-old man from Newtown, Connecticut, and proceeded to carry him down the trail, officials said.
While assessing Rowland, officials came to understand that he was struck by lightning Saturday, but decided not to call for help. Instead, he hiked down the path and found a place among the brush to spend the night. The next morning, he continued to hike down Crawford Path, rejecting assistance from other hikers multiple times until a group of firefighters from Windham found Rowland, according to the department.
While Rowland continuously refused their help, the firefighters “refused to not help him,” officials said. They carried him further down the trail until the team of firefighters from Twin Mountain arrived to transport him the rest of the way.
After firefighters and other rescue officials examined Rowland and recommended that he seek further medical care at a local hospital, he again declined assistance, according to the department. He was instead taken back to his vehicle.
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