A hiking group of 43 people from Taoyuan visited the Shijia Mountain Trail in Gongguan Township, Miaoli County on the 26th. Among them, 67-year-old Liu, a team member, accidentally slipped, hit his head on the stairs and fell into a coma on the spot. Other team members immediately performed CPR, but he still showed no signs of life. The fire department arrived to take over the rescue and sent Liu to Daqian Hospital, but he was pronounced dead after emergency treatment. Authorities will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The Shijia Mountain hiking trail has a total of 1,620 steps. Liu slipped and fell to the ground at the 800th step, hitting his head on the stairs and falling into a coma. Although team members immediately performed CPR, he did not regain breathing or heartbeat. The Miaoli County Fire Bureau was notified to come to the rescue and took him to Daqian Hospital.
Xu Shidong, a team member who performed CPR on Liu, said that when they were climbing around the 800th step, he heard other members calling for help. He turned back and found Liu had fallen and was unconscious on the stairs. Seeing the seriousness of the situation, he immediately started CPR. Other teammates called 119 for help. After nearly 40 minutes of rescue efforts, firefighters arrived and took over.
The Miaoli County Fire Bureau stated that upon arrival, they found Liu had no signs of life. They performed CPR and defibrillation, then used a long arm board and ropes to secure him before transporting him down the mountain. Due to recent rainy weather, the mountain path was slippery, and the terrain was steep and winding. More than 10 firefighters were mobilized to carry Liu down the mountain, after which he was immediately taken to Daqian Hospital for emergency treatment. Despite efforts by medical personnel, he was ultimately pronounced dead.
Police said the hiking group had originally planned to hike in Pingxi, New Taipei City, but changed their route to Miaoli due to rain. The cause of Liu’s death is pending further examination by authorities.
(China Times)