A Pollock Pines man who fell down an embankment while hiking in the area, then became stranded on a rock in the American River, was rescued and flown to safety by a California Highway Patrol helicopter Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n
Robert Douglas, 47, was suffering from minor hypothermia, scrapes and bruises to both legs, and an injury to his ankle when he was rescued about 11:30 a.m., said Deputy James Morgan of the El Dorado County Sheriff\u2019s Office search and rescue division.<\/p>\n
Morgan said Douglas told rescuers that he had started hiking about noon Tuesday near the Forebay Road pike area. During the hike, he slipped and fell down a steep embankment. Unable to climb back up the embankment, he spent the night in a makeshift dirt cave.<\/p>\n
At daybreak, he spotted power lines leading to a Sacramento Municipal Utility District power plant and began following them. He saw a power plant on the other side the river and decided to swim across, but he became tired and cold, and took refuge on a rock in the middle of the river. He then spotted employees of the El Dorado Irrigation District, which also has a power plant in the area, and began yelling for help.<\/p>\n
A Pollock Pines man who fell down an embankment while hiking in the area, then became stranded on a rock in the American River, was rescued and flown to safety by a California Highway Patrol helicopter Wednesday morning. Robert Douglas, 47, was suffering from minor hypothermia, scrapes and bruises to both legs, and an injury … Continue reading Hiker Rescued After Falling Down Embankment In El Dorado County<\/span>