AMHERST COUNTY, Va. – Med Flight-1 crews rescued an injured hiker from the Appalachian Trail near Pedlar in Amherst County on Sunday, according to Virginia State Police. Authorities said the hiker couldn’t get out of a remote spot along the Appalachian Trail without help.
The rescue helicopter took off from Chesterfield County Airport at approximately 11:30 a.m. and arrived about an hour later. After evaluating the situation, crews decided the safest way to get the hiker out was with a hoist rescue.
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The Virginia Department of Forestry cleared a 40-by-60-foot opening in the tree canopy, and Amherst EMS personnel on the ground helped bring the injured hiker to the spot where the helicopter could reach them.
Rescue Technician Anja Hamilton from Chesterfield County Fire and EMS was lowered down to the hiker in conditions that included wind and scattered showers, State Police said. After securing the patient, the helicopter flew to Lynchburg General Hospital, where the hiker arrived at 2:20 p.m.
Once the hiker arrived safely, the crew flew back to pick up Hamilton, who had hiked out with local rescue teams.
This was Med Flight-1’s fifth hoist rescue of 2025.