Injured Cyclist Airlifted From Remote C&O Canal

Incident Information

Maryland State Police used an aerial-hoist operation to rescue an injured bicyclist from a remote stretch of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in Allegany County before transporting the patient to a hospital.

According to Maryland State Police, the Aviation Command was requested after emergency crews received a report of a bicycle accident in an area that was difficult to reach using conventional ground equipment.

The incident was reported at approximately 3:49 p.m. Friday afternoon, in a remote area of the C&O Canal in Allegany County.

Because of the terrain and difficulty reaching the injured person, Maryland State Police Trooper 5 responded to perform the rescue.

The helicopter crew conducted an aerial hoist, allowing rescuers to reach and remove the injured cyclist from the canal corridor.

After the patient was secured, the aviation crew transported the bicyclist directly to a local hospital for treatment.

Police did not publicly identify the cyclist in the release, and the specific nature or severity of the injuries was not disclosed.

No motor vehicle was reported to have been involved.

The C&O Canal towpath runs through lengthy remote portions of Western Maryland, including areas where conventional ambulances and rescue vehicles may have difficulty reaching injured hikers or cyclists.

In such locations, aviation resources can allow medical crews to reach a patient more quickly and avoid a lengthy ground evacuation.

The Maryland State Police report focused primarily on the rescue operation and did not identify a cause of the bicycle accident.

Take Action After Bicycle Crash in Maryland

A bicyclist who survives a collision with a car should consider themselves lucky because these crashes so often end in a cyclist’s death. As personal injury attorneys, the team at Zirkin & Schmerling Law has seen the devastating results of collisions between cars and bikes.

In some cases, the cyclist victims of these crashes never fully recover and regain full mobility. It takes months or years of expensive follow-up care, including plastic surgery, physical therapy, and psychological therapy for emotional damage.

It’s time to talk to a Maryland bicycle accident attorney who has experience with car accidents that involve bicyclist injuries. The team at Zirkin & Schmerling Law has decades of combined experience handling the aftermath of severe car and bicycle crashes. We’re here to help you secure the resources you need to move forward after your accident.