Deputies Rescue Hiker Who Fell Into Ravine
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies rescued a Canyon Country man from Angeles National Forest on Monday night after he tumbled 300 feet into a brushy ravine while trying to save his dog, officials said.
Earl Valerius, 50, was walking his dog on a dirt hiking trail about 7 p.m. when the animal veered off the path and fell 30 feet into the gorge near the Bear Canyon trail at Sand Canyon Road, said Lt. Dan Reidder of the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s station. Valerius tried to help his pet and slipped, Reidder said. Two hiking companions went for help.
It took the sheriff’s Santa Clarita Valley Search and Rescue Team about three hours to remove Valerius from the steep incline. They strapped him to a gurney-like device and slowly hauled him up the cliff, Reidder said.
Valerius was treated for a broken ankle and numerous cuts and bruises at the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia and was released Monday night, officials said. And his dog was fine, Reidder said.
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