Woman Rescued from Local Trail

A woman who went down a mountainside trail on a beautiful spring day in Lehigh County Tuesday morning needed help getting back up after suffering an injury. She was rescued promptly thanks to the efforts of local emergency responders.

The incident happened on a densely-wooded trail network with access from the Dodson Street Fields, at the end of Dodson Street in eastern Salisbury Township. According to posted signs, the trails are located on Bethlehem Authority property and maintained by volunteers from Valley Mountain Bikes, in partnership with the county, the township and the City of Allentown. The park at the top of Dodson Street is close to Fountain Hill and is sometimes misidentified as being within the borough.

The woman’s hiking companion said that after they had walked down the trail, her friend experienced back pain and was unable to make the return trip to the park on foot. They then called for help, which arrived within a matter of minutes and included a St. Luke’s EMS crew, Salisbury Township Police officers and Eastern Salisbury Fire Co. volunteers.

A member of the ambulance crew said that in her experience, it isn’t common for hikers to need rescue from the trail. A bystander said when injuries do happen they usually involve mountain bikers, with whom the steep trails are popular. The trail network winds along the back side of the mountain near the Lehigh River, emerging on Constitution Drive in Allentown.

First responders left with a backboard and used an ATV as part of their operation. It was inside that vehicle that the woman was seated when she was brought back to the Dodson Street Fields parking lot shortly before noon, and approximately 15 minutes after the crew descended the trail.

The woman then sat on an ambulance stretcher and was attended to by EMTs in the parking lot. She did not appear to be seriously injured.