Montana Man Rescued After Being Trapped Under Refrigerator-Sized Boulder for Hours

A Montana man hiking in Washington was trapped by a boulder that officials describe as the size of a refrigerator. 

Ben Delahunty, 28, was hiking in the Lake Vivine area in Washington state with a partner when he was trapped by a boulder, the sheriff reported in a release. 

According to the release, the hiking partner reported the incident around 9:30 a.m. to RiverCom dispatch. Due to the location of the trapped hiker, a helicopter rescue team had to be deployed to lower paramedics to his location. The first paramedic reached the trapped man close to 12:20 p.m., according to the sheriff.

Several authorities responded to the scene to help rescue the man, and after bypassing several obstacles they were finally able to free him from the boulder at 2:20 p.m., reported the sheriff. 

With intense wind conditions, the first attempt to hoist Delahunty out of the area failed, but a second attempt at 4:45 p.m. was successful at raising the hiker out of the area, after which he was transported to the Central Washington Hospital, reports the sheriff.

Delahunty sustained significant injuries to his leg but is expected to make a full recovery, according to the sheriff. 

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