Scottsdale fire official: Drunk man rescued from Phoenix Open drainage area
The man, who fell 15 feet, was carried out by a rescue crew and taken to the hospital in stable condition
An intoxicated man fell 15 feet into a drainage area at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday afternoon, a fire official said. Thirteen other people, mostly those who were unconscious because of intoxication, also were transported to nearby hospitals on Saturday.
Shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, a technical-rescue crew had to extricate the man using a 24-foot extension ladder from the area near the entrance to the expo tent, Scottsdale fire Capt. David Folio said.
Witnesses said he had run up the mountain and had climbed a fence at the top, when he slipped down headfirst. The man then ran into some boulders and hit his head again, according to witnesses.
Folio said the man was transported in stable condition to the trauma center at HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, where he remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon.
Extra personnel at the event allowed staff medics to reach the injured man within one minute of the call, Folio said. In total, crews received 50 calls for service Saturday, a day when the event saw record-breaking crowds of about 209,000 attendees, he added.
Other patients were treated at care sites set up by the Mayo Clinic at the event, Folio said.
"It was flawless service yesterday," he said. "Our goal to provide service is two and three minutes and we reached it."
Folio said hundreds of off-duty firefighters are staffing the event, working in tandem with Scottsdale police, Thunderbirds and PGA security.
Officials were also working with local hospitals throughout the weekend to determine where to transport patients due to overflow at the hospitals with patients with the flu, Folio said.