Rescuers hoisted a hiker off the slope above Diamond Lake

Just after 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office and other agencies answered a report of an injured hiker in the Diamond Lake area west of Nederland, CBS Colorado reported. The man had been hiking alone. He fell and had several injuries, including suspected fractures in his legs. He was conscious and could talk with dispatchers. The slope is steep and technical, so rescuers planned to take him out by helicopter, with crews also working from the ground.

A Colorado National Guard Black Hawk was on that hoist when it had a blade strike around 10:15 p.m. The crew set the aircraft down in a field several miles east of the trailhead. Nobody on board was hurt. About two hours later, a National Guard Lakota helicopter left Buckley Space Force Base, lifted the hiker, and flew him to Nederland High School. From there he went to a hospital in Boulder. The sheriff's office asked people to stay clear of the Fourth of July Trailhead at Buckingham Park while the first helicopter remained on the ground.