A Rancho Cordova teenager was rescued after she was stuck on a ledge partway down a cliff after a day of hiking.
"I climbed down to where I was and then I was trying to climb back up the (steel) cable but I kept on falling and I cut my hands," Tomak said after her rescue. "Finally I just gave up and told my friend to get some help 'cause I couldn't climb anymore."
Once the rescue chopper arrived, pilot Joe Hagerty touched the skids on a rock outcropping just to help balance the craft.
"I couldn't put the full weight of the helicopter on the ground. There was a big drop-off on both sides so it was kind of like balancing on a teeter-totter," said Hagerty.
CHP paramedic Marty Martain then went out to rescue Tomak. "She showed me her hands to show me they were cut. I just kind of motioned to her to come towards me," he said. "She walked down to me, I got her in kind of a little arm lock so I wouldn't have her stumble or anything."
"(I) walked her down, made sure we were clear of any danger and walked back over to the helicopter and got her inside," recalled Martain.
Tomak was taken to a hospital, where she was treated with stitches to close the cuts on one of her fingers, then went home to rest.
Video: LiveLeak
Source: News10
Tags: Helicopter | Rescue | Snow Tomak | hiking
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