Maryland State Police helicopter crew saves life of woman who fell off mountain's cliff

BALTIMORE - A woman is recovering after she was rescued following a 50-foot fall earlier this week in the mountains of Western Maryland.

She was rescued by a Maryland State Police helicopter crew who provided timely and urgent care to save her life.

Video from Tuesday shows a hiker being hoisted into a Medivac helicopter after she fell from a cliff along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

"On the terrain below, it was rocks and trees, so I'm not exactly sure what she hit on the way down," said TFC Samantha English, a trooper flight medic. "But when we heard it was a 50-foot fall, we were definitely suspicious of some serious injuries and serious trauma that we would be dealing with."

Trooper 3 came just in time as dispatch relayed the message that the woman's condition was deteriorating as a result of the fall down the steep hill. 

After the helicopter located the woman, medical personnel jumped into action.

"Basically, was able to bandage up her injuries, stabilize her at that time, gave her some medication just to keep her stable until we were able to actually package her and extricate her to get her to a trauma center," English said.

The woman was flown to Baltimore to be treated at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma.

The quick action by first responders made all the difference.

"So, with the whole blood that we have, getting that down to her, we can provide that extra buffer and that extra time needed to get patients that definitive care," English said.

There's no official word on that woman's current condition but she is expected to recover.