Rescue on Mt. Rainier
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Four climbers slipped down an icy Mount Rainier slope Thursday morning, catapulting two men across a crevasse and dropping two others inside it. Helicopters rescued the injured men.
Rescuers reported that one man slipped, dragging two other climbers and a mountain guide about 40 yards to the 20-foot-deep crevasse, Mount Rainier National Park (search) spokeswoman Lee Taylor said.
The most seriously injured were the climbers who plunged into the crevasse.
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Patrick Clemens of Bethlehem, Pa., suffered serious head trauma, along with a broken leg and possibly broken ribs, officials said. Matthew Fisher, 42, of Vernon, N.J., suffered broken ribs and a liver injury.
Both were flown from the peak by Oregon National Guard (search) helicopters.
A hospital official declined to release the condition of Clemens, whose age was not available. Officials said Fisher was in serious condition.
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Also injured were Peter Bridgewater, 54, of Singapore, with a dislocated shoulder, and John Lucia, 31, a mountain guide who suffered a head injury, Taylor said. Both were hospitalized in satisfactory condition.
All four were evacuated by early afternoon from Ingraham Glacier (search) at the 12,600-foot level of the 14,411-foot peak.
Other climbing parties were nearby and assisted with first aid and rescue efforts, and Park Service rangers were dropped to the scene by helicopter, Taylor said.
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It was the seventh climbing accident requiring a rescue in the past week on Rainier, which has seen one fatality this year, Taylor said.