On Thursday, a man survived McDonald's fall after dropping from an overlook into McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park, where he was swept over waterfalls. A bystander found him face down in the water, turned him over, pulled him to a shallow section and started CPR.
After a short stint of CPR, the man had a return of spontaneous circulation. Two Bear Air Rescue then hoisted him into a helicopter at the scene, and an awaiting ALERT helicopter took him to the hospital after he was stabilized.
McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park
The fall into moving water changed the rescue from a ground response to an air operation. The man moved from an overlook to the creek, then over a set of waterfalls before the bystander reached him in time to start CPR and help sustain circulation.
Two Bear Air Rescue said this was the second river call in the last few days with life saving CPR by a citizen. That detail puts the response in a narrower frame: the rescue did not begin with the helicopter, but with the person who got to him first and acted before crews arrived.
Two Bear Air Rescue and ALERT
Two Bear Air Rescue arrived, hoisted the victim into a helicopter and flew him to safety. The transfer to an awaiting ALERT helicopter came after stabilization, moving him from the creek scene to hospital care.
The article leaves one point unanswered: what caused the man to fall from the overlook. What is clear is that the rescue depended on a bystander’s CPR, then on air crews who moved quickly once the man regained circulation.
