Photo: USDA
Two women were killed by a falling tree while hiking in Washington state last week. As The Kitsap Sun reports, the incident occurred on a popular trail in the Olympic National Forest.
On January 15, Christine Mutchler, 70, Kathy Pickard, 76, and Kathy Todd, 74, went on a three-mile hike to Lena Lake. Around noon, they were approaching the lake when they heard a loud sound. “We heard a big crack that I’ll never forget,” Todd told the Sun. “I ran as fast as I could, and I’m sure they did too.”
A dead fir tree had broken off about 10 feet up and fallen onto the trail. After Todd managed to clear the falling pieces, she turned around to find Mutchler and Pickard on the ground. Pickard had been killed instantly, but Mutchler was still breathing.
Two emergency room doctors on the trail behind the trio arrived moments later and began to treat Mutchler. Meanwhile, Todd hiked to a nearby clearing to call 911. Just over an hour later, a rescue helicopter airlifted Mutchler to a Seattle hospital, but she died just before arrival.
The doctors walked with Todd to the parking lot, then drove her back to Kitsap County. Meanwhile, other hikers stayed with Pickard’s body until a rescue crew arrived to retrieve it.
