Interview with brother of deaf hiker who was rescued in California
Last week I did a report from CBS News about a deaf hiker that was lost and injured and rescued in the Angeles National Forest in California last Monday into early Tuesday morning. The deaf hiker’s name was not disclosed, but his brother reached out to “The Daily Moth” and we did an interview.
The deaf hiker who was rescued – his name is Gerardo Argila. His brother’s name is Cavan.
He said he was hiking with Gerardo and a man named Scott around noon. At one point, Cavan and Scott took a break while Gerardo went off on his own way. Cavan said he expected Gerardo to come back but became concerned after an hour had already passed with no sign of him. They tried to search for Gerardo but couldn’t find him. It was getting dark and the trails were dangerous because it was icy.
Cavan said he and Scott went to the park ranger’s office and requested help. Later that night, a search crew with a dog responded to the scene and they found Gerardo.
Cavan Argila: They had a dog that could smell and hear someone. The dog found him. I was with the crew but was standing at a distance. I could see him and confirmed that it was (Gerardo). He was safe and holding onto a tree. He was 500 feet down from the trail. He fell, rolled down, and held on to the tree. For six hours.
Alex: The search crew, named the “Montrose Search & Rescue Team,” said they found the deaf man at about 12:53 a.m. The crew stayed with him until there was daylight so they could get an emergency airlift from a helicopter.
[Video clip] Credit: Twitter/MontroseSAR
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Alex: Cavan said Gerardo did not sustain any broken bones, but he had stitches on his forehead, pain in his hand, and multiple scratches over his body.
[Full-screen image] Credit: Cavan Argila
Alex: Cavan said they plan to hike again in the future, but after Gerardo heals from his wounds. We’re glad Gerardo is doing okay.
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/deaf-hiker-rescued-from-angeles-national-forest-airlift/