A 35-year-old Flagstaff woman was helicoptered to Flagstaff Medical Center after slipping between two rocks on Bell Rock trail and falling roughly 50 feet Sunday, Aug. 23.

When a crew from Sedona Fire District Station No. 3 in the Village of Oak Creek arrived Sunday afternoon, they found the victim lying in the bush with bones sticking out of her ankle, Capt. Patrick Ojeda said.

The woman tried to leap between a gap nearly 3 feet wide. When she landed on the other side, she slid backward, off the ledge, and fell 50 feet below, a witness told the rescue crew.

She appeared to have landed feet first, severely snapping one ankle, injuring both legs, and scraping and bruising her back and wrist. Fortunately, she didn’t hit her head, Ojeda said.

The victim was conscious when the rescuers arrived and was treated immediately for pain.

Angel 3 helicopter from Cottonwood was able to land halfway up on Bell Rock so crews splinted everything, immobilized her and carried her one-third mile to the waiting helicopter. She was then transported to Flagstaff.

When a friend called 9-1-1, he wasn’t exactly sure where to tell rescuers he was located. Since he reported that he could see State Route 179, Ojeda called his cell phone from the ambulance and the witness alerted him when he could see the ambulance.

The crews pulled into the Little Horse trailhead parking lot and hiked up a drainage path to reach her.

“It’s not uncommon around here,” SFD Public Information Officer Gary Johnson said. “Folks don’t always pay attention at the trailhead to exactly where they are. When they get in trouble, they can’t always provide us accurate information.”

Johnson recommends carrying a cell phone.

“You may not be able to get a signal immediately where you are, but you may be able to relocate yourself to get a signal by climbing to an open area,” he said.

He also suggests staying on the trail.

“Rocks that everyone assumes are solid, aren’t necessarily solid rocks,” he said. “You may not have solid footing.”