By Scott Harvey
Red River, New Mexico – A 14-year-old girl is alive today thanks to the actions of a Greenville firefighter, who was in the right place at the right time while vacationing over the weekend in New Mexico.
Following a nearly four-hour hike up to the summit of Wheeler Peak, Firefighter Colby Estes and his family were starting back down due to threatening weather when Estes witnessed a girl falling down the mountain.
As he encountered the girl, she started becoming lethargic and was difficult to keep awake.
As a rescue team was unable to reach the girl due to their location and a developing storm, Estes and his brother-in-law were able to make a stretcher out of ski poles and jackets. They then carried her down the mountain, a process that took seven hours.
The victim was flown to an Albuquerque, New Mexico trauma center, where she was said to be doing well at last report.
Estes said, "It was one of the toughest things I've ever done. I'm just glad she's okay."
Fire Chief Doug Caison said, "It doesn't surprise me. Colby is one of the best we have. If I were injured and stuck on a mountain, he would be one of the guys I'd pick to come get me."
Estes will be recognized for his heroic efforts at the Greenville City Council Meeting on August 10.