thomas duhigg, vancouver
A five-member crew from the Naval Air Station at Whidbey Island, Washington, rescued an injured hiker April 5, 2015, on the Craggy Peak Trail near Mount St. Helens. Thomas Duhigg, who is not in the photo, died after being airlifted to a Vancouver hospital.
(NAS Whidbey Island)
A 56-year-old Vancouver man, who fell while hiking last weekend near Mount St. Helens, died Sunday after he was airlifted by a U.S. Navy helicopter to a Vancouver hospital.
According to the Clark County Medical Examiner's Office, Thomas Duhigg died of blunt chest injuries and hypothermia.
The Lewis County Chronicle reports that Duhigg and a friend from Lake Oswego were hiking the Craggy Peak Trail on Saturday when Duhigg's friend noticed that he was not behind him on the trail. The friend turned around and found Duhigg about 20 feet off the path down a 30-degree slope.
Thomas Duhigg, 56.
The Washington Trails Association calls the trail in the so-called Dark Divide between Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams "beautiful, albeit difficult."
Duhigg, who had fallen in about 4 feet of snow, complained of leg and hip pain, the friend told authorities.
The friend used a locator beacon to alert authorities. A duty officer at the Washington Department of Emergency Management contacted the Skamania County Sheriff's Office to begin a search for the men.
Deputies found the men's car and after an all-night search located the men at 5 a.m. By that time, Duhigg was unresponsive, officials said. The medical examiner's office said Duhigg died at PeaceHealth Medical Center.
Duhigg's obituary says he worked as an engineer at the Benson Hotel in Portland for 22 years before retiring in February 2014.
-- Stuart Tomlinson
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