BELINGTON — Emergency responders spent hours Saturday rescuing an individual who was injured along a walking trail at Audra State Park.

Barbour County 911 received an emergency text around 7:16 p.m. Saturday and crews were dispatched to the the state park, according to a release from the Belington Volunteer Fire Department. Department members arrived on scene around 7:35 p.m. and set up a command post at the closest accessible point to the trail. The Barbour County Ambulance Authority also arrived on the scene.

“Rescue personnel equipped themselves with rope bags, rescue hardware, flashlights and other specialized equipment before beginning the trek to the patient’s location,” the release states.

The rescue team was guided along the trail by the victim’s friend, and trail markers were placed to assist additional responding personnel if needed. At 7:42 p.m. the Junior Volunteer and Philippi Volunteer fire departments were requested to provide additional manpower.

“Due to the challenging terrain and limited communications, crews did not make patient contact until approximately 8:22 p.m. Once on scene, EMS personnel began evaluating the patient while rescue crews worked to create a safer pathway from the riverbank back to the trail,” the release reads. “Once on scene, EMS personnel began evaluating the patient while rescue crews worked to create a safer pathway from the riverbank back to the trail.”

The patient was secured in a “Stokes basket” and around 8:45 p.m. crews began “the difficult movement of the patient from the river area to the trail. The operation involved navigating rocky terrain, steep grades, and heavily wooded areas,” the release states. The Elkins Fire Department, Beverly Volunteer Fire Department and the Coalton Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the scene to provide station coverage, while the Belington Volunteer Fire Department remained on scene.

“At approximately 8:50 p.m., the patient was successfully moved from the riverbank to the trail system. Two minutes later, the lengthy transport to the command post began,” the release reads. “Rescue personnel encountered multiple steep, narrow and rocky sections of trail. During portions of the operation, a 2:1 rope system was deployed to safely raise the patient up a steep embankment.”

Members of the Belington Fighters For Firefighters Association provided critical logistical support by transporting water, batteries, flashlights and additional supplies from the command post to crews working deep within the trail system, according to the release.

“After several hours of coordinated effort, the patient was successfully transported back to the command post at approximately 12:30 a.m. on June 21 and transferred to a waiting BCAA ambulance for further medical care,” the release states. “Crews completed equipment retrieval and scene cleanup before returning to service at 12:42 a.m.”