Rescue crews airlift hiker from Bennington Long Trail

BENNINGTON, Vt. (NEWS10) — New York and Vermont rescue crews worked together to save a hiker after a medical event on the Long Trail. Vermont State Police say the rescue was complicated and successful.

State police received reports shortly after noon on Tuesday that Alden Summers Jones, 41, of Bennington, needed help in a remote location between Arlington and Sunderland.

It took several hours for crews to find Jones because initial reports of his location were unclear. With help from a helicopter dispatched by the New York State Police Aviation Unit in Albany, police and forest rangers located the injured hiker.

A ranger was lowered by wire from the helicopter to Jones’s location at about 7 p.m. Jones was secured to a litter which was hoisted out of the forest and taken to a waiting ambulance. He was transported to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, and later to Albany Medical Center.

Following their long and arduous maneuvers, several rescuers decided it would be safest to recuperate overnight in a shelter located about a mile from the rescue site.

In addition to local rescue crews, sever licensed amateur radio operated assisted the rescue by helping with communication efforts between different outfits.