Hillside rescue after grandmother slips during hike

AUBURN, Wash. — Fire officials in the Seattle suburb of Auburn, Washington, say a 70-year-old woman out walking with two grandchildren and a dog had to be rescued Thursday afternoon after tumbling down a steep hillside above the White River. In addition to the initial slide, a Valley Regional Fire Authority spokesman says she fell about 20 feet off a vertical ledge.

KING-TV reports that relatives say the woman will be transferred to a Seattle hospital for treatment of a back injury. She was initially taken to an Auburn hospital.

The woman and children were hiking in an area of steep trails when the woman fell. One of her grandsons, an 11-year-old boy, was able to climb back up the hill and call 911 for help. He and a 7-year-old boy were unhurt. Firefighters helped the younger boy off the hillside. The dog was also OK.

Rescuers brought the woman down to the river, where she was loaded into a boat, then transferred to a fire department aid car and taken to the hospital.

Editor's note: The story has been updated to clarify who fell.

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