Snowmobile suit protected man who tumbled into St. Helens crater

Advertising

RSS Feeds

News for Mobile Devices

HealthWebCenter

Local experts provide the latest information on Healthcare issues that matter to you

Weight Loss

Safety Watch

Professional Eye Care

Fresh Ideas with Leigh Ann:

Recipes and Quick Tips

Comments

Snowmobile suit protected man who tumbled into St. Helens crater

04:08 PM PDT on Monday, April 14, 2008

By ADRIANE HORNER and FRANK MUNGEAM, Kgw.com Staff

A man was evacuated by helicopter after falling into the crater of Mt. St. Helens while snowmobiling on the mountain Saturday.

Watch KGW report on fall into crater

Man falls into crater

Home video of rescue

John Slemp, 52, of Damascus rode his snowmobile along with two others to the west rim of the crater at Mt. St. Helens.

Slemp got off his snowmobile and walked out onto a cornice overhanging the crater when it gave way, according to police.

Slemp reportedly fell about 1300 feet before landing on the interior slope of the crater. He then slid on hands and knees to the bottom of the crater.

Slideshow: Scene of crater rescue

Slemp was taken to Yacolt, Washington to receive medical care and then transferred to to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland where he was upgraded to good condition on Monday.

The call for help came around 5:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Rescue crews from the Skamania County Sheriff's office and the Clark County Volcano Rescue Team responded to the call from a man who reported his friend had fallen inside the crater of Mt. St. Helens.

The man’s friend used a two-way radio to call for help. The signal was picked up by a man in Mossy Rock who then contacted 9-1-1 for help.

View: Mt. St. Helens Live Webcam

Slideshow: Recent dome-building at MSH

Multimedia: 1980 Eruption of Mt. St. Helens