Rescued Hiker Makes Complaint Against Flight For Life

February 22, 2011 4:14 PM

Alyson Kruetzer (credit: CBS)

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DENVER (CBS4) – A Denver woman is in a hospital after her rescue from a 13,000-foot peak. It’s a rescue she says was delayed 14 hours because of Flight For Life.

Alyson Kruetzer has had surgery to repair her broken leg. It snapped when she slipped while climbing Mount Rosalie over the weekend. Flight For Life was originally called in, but Kruetzer says when the chopper landed the crew told her they had 3 minutes to load her because bad weather was rolling in.

“They saw that I couldn’t get up and they left, and I was really sad because they didn’t give me a sleeping bag or anything,” Kreutzer said.

Flight For Life director Kathleen Mayer says the decision to turn back came down to two things — timing and safety.

“We were not able to deliver the care that this patient insisted on before she would allow us to move her onto the helicopter and still get out safely,” Mayer said.

Rescue crews hiked through white out conditions after dark to reach her.

“It was the worst pain ever,” Kreutzer said. “By that point I just wanted to die.”
space Rescued Hiker Makes Complaint Against Flight For Life

Mayer said Flight For Life learned some very painful lessons in 1994 when one of their helicopters crashed on Mount Huron and both crew members died.

“We will not put our crew at risk attempting something a ground crew can do,” Mayer said.

Her climbing partner shed most of his winter clothing and insisted Kruetzer wear it to keep from freezing.

Rescued Hiker Makes Complaint Against Flight For Life

carljames

too bad the ground crew didn’t turn around too!

J

she looks like a spoiled idiot that people jump for when she asks for something, but if you watch the video she says that she is not really upset, just confused. This story is pure sensationalism by the news people. They try to get you worked up that the poor girl was stuck in the mtn, then turn it around. If they reported the straight facts the story would not be as interesting.

The director does not go into details, but illuded to the fact that htere were special requests made by the girl that they did not have time to deal with.

Daniel

Wow J, you must be a psychic to know exactly what happened? The fact that they landed 60 yards away and walked over there to tell her she had 3 minutes to load on, might be a difficult walk to make with a fratured femur. She didn’t refuse anything, when she called 2 hours plus earlier she said she couldn’t move form the waist down. How about the next time the news uses sensationalism, you don’t comment because no one wants to hear your worthless opinion!

Stephen

Here’s an idea for her – if she doesn’t like the “Flight For Life” service we tax payers are providing to her so that she can partake in her risky hobby, then don’t do it!

Stupid child.

PM

To my knowledge the FFL service is paid for by the individual so don’t worry about your tax dollars being misused. Also, to you and others commenting here please know your facts before you go about assigning labels like ‘stupid children’, etc. It is possible that you are not hearing the whole story, no? Sometimes its best not to comment.

Fltnot4thisidiot

This is what the USA has come to. I guess having Flight for Life follow you around is a right now…. Unf r e a k i n believable!!!!!!

Daniel

You’re an idiot! Snaping your femur freakishly on a patch of ice is more unlikly then you getting in a car accident and judging by your comment seems very likely. So every time you get into your car you have flight for life following you around? Grow a brain!

M

The video makes it seem like she wouldn;t let the crew move her the way they wanted. If someone is trying to save your life and get you emergency medical attention don’t argue with them. They are trained to do their job. She waited because they had a time window and she would go with the program. At least she’s alive. This wasn’t even a story worth reporting.
Rufus

You can’t fix stupid.
Mark C-

I think that this was a very stupid thing to have happen. What if this woman died up there on that mountain? This story could have been much different.
David

If you plan on doing outdoor activities in winter, PLAN ON IT BEING WINTER.
Don’t blame flight for life, a public service, for not risking thier life for you. Fligh for life made the right call, you don’t have to unneccesarily risk your life for someone else.
Scott

The pilot should be commended on maintaining safe flight operations in the face of repercussions like this.
Tom

If you want to play in the Wilderness, learn to “cowboy up.” She should be damned thankful that there are services willing to even attempt to rescue her someplace that remote. Had the helicopter delayed and encountered bad weather, there is a significant chance that she would not have been rescued at all, at the expense of her own life plus 3 others. People need to get a clue before they start pointing fingers about stuff they know nothing about.
Tom O

If you want to play in the Wilderness, learn to “cowboy up.” She should be damned thankful that there are services willing to even attempt to rescue her someplace that remote. Had the helicopter delayed and encountered bad weather, there is a significant chance that she would not have been rescued at all, and this time at the expense of her own life plus 3 others. People need to get a clue before they start pointing fingers about stuff they know nothing about and start to realize that, just because they want to engage in a risky hobby, the entire world doesn’t suddenly revolve around them if they bite off more than they can chew. If you call for help, at least follow the direction of the trained individuals you summoned for help in the first place. I can see this becoming yet another bogus lawsuit based on sheer stupidity!

Derek

she was damned thankful. Where are you coming from?

Kelli

Flight for Life has saved many children and adults. People are risking their lives for you, so remember that when you are doing something risky . Dont blame anybody but yourself for the position you were in, just be grateful you are alive.
cathy

I think this story is ridiculous…flight for life is an outstanding organization that provides a tremendous service…she should be embarrassed for her behavior and apologize to them!!!! Grow up and be accountable…not a publicity hound!!!

Derek

Can I ask, apologize for what?

Derek

To all the people throwing a fit because she sounds like a spoiled child to you, she is an experience mountaineer, was prepared as can be for the peak and all she said was that she was “sad” they couldn’t provide her with aid. She did not complain one bit in this poorly written “article”. You all have need to get off your lazy boy stop believing the words spoon-fed to you by the media.
DU Donnie

Nobody on here knows the facts of the story, the news crew sensationalized this whole thing as with any story. The question is not why the helicopter team didn’t rescue her putting their crew in danger. It is why were they were so ill prepared with an alpine rescue!! Short sleeve shirts, 3 minute window and not even approaching her with a board to place her on when they knew she had an immobilizing injury??? No offer to leave water, or blankets, nobody is saying they didn’t offer to put their lives on the line her people, wake up and think about it. She couldn’t move! I would love to see anybody on this forum try to get up and walk with a compound fracture of their femur and no pain meds, talk is cheap until you are in that scenario.

Why they heck didn’t a flight for life crew leave basic necessities for them until the ground crew could reach them some 12 hours later is the question nobody answered, nothing to due about putting crews at risk…you have time to get out of a chopper and run up a hill you have time to toss basic necessities out.

Pretty amusing reading some of the opinions and how truly stupid the majority of folks are in our population, sounds like we need a little natural selection to take place to weed out some of the inferior brains, definately no critical thinkers in this bunch. Go back to school or quit breathing and save the oxygen for the rest of the planet…lol Wow.