A 74-year-old hiker whose gurney span out of control while they were allegedly being airlifted by a helicopter to safety is suing the city of Phoenix in Arizona for $2 million.
According to Fox 10 News, Katalin Metro, reportedly tripped when hiking a trail on June 4, 2019. She became disoriented and needed descending Piestewa Peak, and thus the emergency services were summoned to assist her.
Firefighters wrapped her up and strapped her into a 'stokes basket' which the helicopter lifted down.
Check out this news report about the footage in the video below:However, a mere 60 seconds into the rescue, the gurney began to spin around and around like a propeller. The footage of the incident was recorded by Fox 10 reporters, and the video has since been viewed over a million times.
According to court documents obtained by Fox 10, Metro claims that she told first responders that she didn't want to be taken off the trail via airlift and that she suffered physical, emotional and psychological injuries and damage as a result of the spinning.
The same documents also allege that she was taken to John C. Lincoln Medical Center shortly afterward, where a doctor noted that she had suffered from swelling and bruising to bilateral eyes, blood in her external auditory canals, and soft tissue swelling over parts of her cranium. She also later required surgery for a spinal cord injury.
The claim continues: "Katalin Metro's injuries were caused or contributed to by the negligence, negligence per se, gross negligence, carelessness and/or other faults on the part of the City of Phoenix."
However, Paul Apolinar told Fox 10 reporters that there was a reasonable, non-negligent explanation for the spinning, stating: "As the basket comes up and hears the helicopter, the basket will start to interact with the rotor wash of the helicopter. That is when it tends to spin. It wants to windmill."