A Massachusetts man was rescued from Mount Washington in New Hampshire after suffering what officials are calling an “unknown medical event.” 29-year-old Tyler Viruent from Carver, Massachusetts, was reportedly “unable to move” while hiking through the state park on Tuesday, August 26.
One member of the group Viruent was with, an off-duty EMT, described his friend’s sudden symptoms to emergency personnel over the phone around 4:30 p.m.. Staff from Mount Washington State Park were able to reach the incapacitated man at 5:48, according to the official statement from The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
While little information was given about Viruent’s health or what led to his immobilization, the statement insinuates that weather may have had an effect. “Hikers are reminded that weather in the White Mountains is beginning to change rapidly,” it concludes, “wind chills are already below freezing in areas above tree line, and it will not be long before ice and snow arrive.” At the time of rescue, it was around 40 degrees at Mount Washington and felt even colder due to winds and light rain.
Rescue workers advised the group of hikers to move Viruent to the auto road that leads down the mountain. Once found, the 29-year-old was assessed and officials helped to assist him the remainder of the way to the paved main road. Once he was standing and began moving again, Viruent “started to feel better, and was then able to hike with assistance the rest of the way out,” New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officer Matthew Holmes told The Boston Globe.
Viruent was driven down the mountain on the auto road and was assessed again by medical personnel at the bottom of the mountain. He refused an ambulance ride, but was brought to a hospital in a personal vehicle instead.
