CLIMBER FALLS INTO CREVICE IN JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

Kennya Pimentel, 20 of Las Vegas, Nevada fell while climbing at the Hemmingway Buttress area of Joshua Tree National Park Wednesday. Park Rangers say she fell about six feet and became wedged in a crevice about 100 feet above the ground.  She was not wearing a safety helmet and initially complained of both head and hip injuries. Rangers and Search and rescue volunteers, Sheriffs deputies, and helicopters from Sheriff’s Office responded. Rescue team members used a high angle rescue system to extract Pimentel from the crevice, and safely lower her to the ground. She was then airlifted to Desert Regional Hospital and released Thursday morning. Fortunately she sustained no serious injury. The rescue took about five hours.