A hiker in Hawaii ended up in the hospital after being impaled by a tree branch on a popular trail, Honolulu’s emergency services say.
The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Oahu’s Lulumahu Falls Trail, a popular 1.8-mile round-trip hike that leads to a year-round waterfall. According to KHON2, the Honolulu Fire Department said that the 25-year-old hiker had suffered a puncture wound to the abdomen from a 6-inch tree branch. Firefighters used an electric chainsaw to cut off the offending tree limb and transported the hiker off the trail in a litter.
Afterward, Honolulu Emergency Medical Services provided life support to the hiker and transported him to the hospital in serious condition.
A Rare but Serious Hazard
While uncommon, impalement by tree branches has caused serious injuries to hikers and other outdoor recreationists before. In 2022, Ed Steinkamp, a 67-year-old hiker from Texas, lost vision in one eye after falling and suffering a puncture wound to the face from a branch. And in 2023, 24-year-old Candace Hadwen had to be evacuated from the White Mountains after suffering a seizure and waking up to find that she had become impaled on a tree limb…