Good Samaritans Rescue Solo Hiker After Gruesome Injury

Last week, two hikers making a solo excursion through a popular Washington State park rescued a woman who was left with a gruesome injury.

The good samaritans, who have remained unidentified in media reports, were out for a hike at Washington’s Bridal Veil Falls on Feb. 3 when they happened upon a substantial amount of human blood. Following the grisly trail, the hikers discovered Jacque Tietjen, an experienced hiker and mountain climber from Saratoga Springs who had been felled by a horrific, and still-unexplained, injury while out for a solo walk.

Jacque was discovered at the bottom of a 45-degree slope. She was suffering from a severe head injury, which her family believes she suffered either in a fall or due to falling rocks. Authorities estimate that she was found about 90 minutes after she fell. “They took care of her, wrapped their coats around her, [and] tried to get her body temperature up,” Jacque’s sister‑in‑law, Katherine Tietjen, told KSL TV of the rescuers.

“The fact that they not just noticed that, but had the inclination to follow it and to investigate, that potentially has saved her life,” Katherine continued. “Our family is so grateful. There are no words to how grateful [sic] we are to those men.”

Victim Is Now Recovering at Nearby Hospital

Jacque was transferred via Life Flight to Utah Valley Hospital, where she was sedated and intubated while doctors ran the necessary tests. Along with skull and facial fractures, Jacque suffered “multiple brain bleeds” as well as scrapes and bruises. “It will take a few days for the brain to show what it’s going to do,” Katherine explained. “They’re monitoring her brain right now to see the swelling and monitor[ing] the swelling. If it starts to swell too much, they will have to do emergency surgery and take a piece out of her skull to give the brain space to expand.”

Katherine added that Jacque is an experienced hiker and mountain climber who has set off on multiple solo expeditions, many of which were more dangerous than the one during which she was injured. “This isn’t new to her. She’s been in dangerous conditions,” Katherine said. “She’s been on thousands of hikes, and this was just the one where something went wrong.”