Army helicopter assists in high-altitude rescue on Mount Rainier

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK -- Search and rescue teams rescued a man who suffered traumatic injuries Sunday close to the summit of Mount Rainier.

The man was at 13,500 feet and descending from the summit near the Emmons Glacier when he fell, Mount Rainier National Park Spokeswoman Patti Wold said. Four members of the climber's nine person climbing party reported the fall around 4 p.m. at Camp Schurman, and rescue workers searched for the injured man.

An Army Reserve Chinook helicopter was deployed and inserted rangers about 300 feet above the scene. The climber was hooked to a gurney and packaged for flight around 9 p.m.

The injured climber was taken to the Madigan Army Medical Center Sunday night, officials said. His condition was unknown Monday.

Mount Rainier is 14,411 feet tall and the and anywhere from 8,000 to 13,000 people attempt to summit the mountain each year, according to Yahoo! News. On average, three people die on the mountain every