Stricken Man Rescued In State Forest

Firefighters, aided by a group of Boy Scouts, rescued a Trumbull man who took ill while on a hike in Lower Paugussett State Forest in Sandy Hook on Earth Day, April 22.

At about 1:40 pm, Sandy Hook firefighters received a report that a man who was hiking on the Blue Trail in the forest, about one mile away from Great Quarter Road, had taken ill and needed help, said Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Chief Bill Halstead.

The older man reportedly had been in the woods for about four hours, had little water, and had become dehydrated. The man’s identity was not available.

While in distress, the man encountered an unidentified group of Boy Scouts in the woods who aided him until firefighters could arrive, Chief Halstead said. Twenty-three firefighters participated, he said.

Firefighters brought their forest-rescue trailer with them on the call. The narrow trailer holds a specialized stretcher that is towed behind a narrow all-terrain vehicle that is able to maneuver on forest trails.

A Newtown volunteer ambulance crew and a paramedic responded to the scene. The stricken man was transported to St Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport for medical care, Chief Halstead said.