Busy afternoon of rescues for Sonoma County sheriff's helicopter

It was a busy Sunday for the Sonoma County sheriff's helicopter, which rescued several hikers and a near-drowning victim.

In the space of four hours the chopper crew responded to four incidents, including an injured German tourist who fell on a remote trail in Armstrong Woods near Guerneville around 2 p.m. The woman, in her late 50s, was extricated on a 200-foot-line dangling from the helicopter and taken to an ambulance, according to Sgt. Cecile Focha.

Around 3:45 p.m., the helicopter was dispatched to Hood Mountain Regional Park in Sonoma Valley to rescue an extremely dehydrated married couple reported halfway to Gunsight Rock. They were plucked out on a 100-foot line and taken to an ambulance.

Shortly after 5 p.m the crew was back to the Hood Mountain area on a report of a possible hiker in distress, but the man was able to walk out on his own.

Just after 6 p.m. the helicopter went to Yorty Creek near Cloverdale on a report of an unconscious woman in the water. She had been underwater for several minutes, but was pulled out, perhaps by park rangers, Focha said, and CPR administered.

The woman, described as being in her mid-60s, was flown to a hospital and was expected to survive, according to Focha.