Hiker Fall Massacre Canyon

Written by Glenn Henderson

Gwenda Yates received a call for an injured hiker in Massacre Canyon about 3:40 p.m. on Saturday. She was told that a female hiker had fallen and that her friends were doing CPR on her. The team responded immediately. I went to the Hemet Station and picked one of our rescue trucks and then picked up Gwenda on the way to the canyon. We arrived at base about 4:10 p.m. and met Brad Scott, who had arrived ahead of us. Brad told us that Cal Fire was already on scene and had taken over medical on the subject. We were only at base a short time before receiving the word that CPR had been discontinued. The Hemet Sheriff’s aviation unit, Star 9, was then dispatched to do a hoist of the subject in their litter. By this time other team members had arrived. We were asked to stay and help with unloading the litter at base.

The Coroner arrived soon afterward and we were released to return home. We did not get a mile down the road before being called back to assist the Coroner back into the canyon to survey the scene and take pictures of the accident site. Nick, Craig, Michael, Gwenda and I returned, letting the other team members continue home. We led the Coroner’s team up the canyon and helped them up and over the first falls and to the second falls, the site of the accident. It looked like the subject had fallen about 150'. The Coroner's team spent quite a while at the site before we returned to our vehicles.

It was a sad ending to what started out as a fun hike for a group of friends spending the afternoon together. Our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Rosalie Gomez-Hernandez, age 30, of Hemet.

RMRU team members present: Mike George, Glenn Henderson, Mark Houston, Robert May, Patrick McCurdy, Nick Nixon, Aaron Reyes, Brad Scot, Craig Wills, and Gwenda Yates.

Aviation assets: Riverside Sheriff's Star 9.

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