Firefighters used a rope system to rescue a hiker who suffered multiple injuries when he fell about 60 feet down from a trail in Kahikinui on Saturday, a fire official said. Kula firefighters were called to the area near Mile Marker 28 on Piilani Highway at 5:41 p.m. Because of the approaching darkness that would make the Fire Department’s Air One rescue helicopter unavailable, a Kahului rescue and Makawao engine company also were dispatched to the scene, said Capt. Paul Haake.
Arriving at 6:26 p.m., Kula firefighters were directed to the fallen hiker by his female hiking companion, who is a Maui resident, Haake said. He said firefighters reported that the man, a 27-year-old Big Island resident, had fallen about 60 feet down from the trail’s edge and was lodged in a small crevice. The man called out in response when firefighters tried to tell him they were there to help, Haake said.