Rather than let her wait five hours for search and rescue, Airman Troy May and other hikers helped get Ursula Bannister to safety.
Photos courtesy of Joint Base Lewis-McChord/Airman 1st Class Benjamin Riddle (right)
Ursula Bannister was lucky when a bunch of strangers helped her out after she broke her leg in three spots.
It’s pretty rare to spot a nearly 80-year-old woman hiking by herself, especially on a tough trail. But for 79-year-old Ursula Bannister, climbing up to High Rock Lookout in Washington is a special yearly ritual. She spread her mother’s ashes at the lookout 23 years ago, and every year, she returns to place flowers at the beautiful spot that looks out over Mount Rainier.
She normally hikes with a family member, but this year she couldn’t get anyone to join her. The 3.2-mile trail is pretty steep, but since she’s an experienced hiker and has her poles, she felt confident. Once she reached the top, she enjoyed her lunch and snapped some photos. However, right after she started heading back down, her foot got stuck in a hole, and she ended up falling.
She explained to KOMO News, “I chose to take a shortcut through the bushes and ended up going off the path. While I was bushwhacking, my right foot stepped into a hole made by some animal. I fell down and immediately realized that my foot was broken.”
She bandaged her leg and attempted to stand up using her hiking pole, but her ankle gave way as soon as she put weight on it.
Unable to hike down the trail with a broken leg, she would have had to wait five hours for search and rescue.
Bannister was hurting a lot and shouted for help. Before long, some people passing by discovered her and one of them called 911. However, the dispatcher told them it would take around five hours for a rescue team to get there. Bannister then asked if anyone had any painkillers, but unfortunately, nobody had any.
When 20-year-old U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Troy May and his friends showed up, they decided to lend a hand. Instead of making her wait for the search and rescue team, May and his buddy, Layton Allen, volunteered to help carry Bannister back down the trail.
I was sure I could carry her down, May, who is based at Washington’s Joint Base Lewis-McChord, said to MSN. “I didn’t think about it too much; I just felt that I had to help her down if I was able to.”
A whole group of strangers rallied to help get the woman down the trail safely
May and Layton weren’t the only people on the trail willing to help Bannister get down the mountain. A physical therapist made a splint out of some wood scraps and wrapped her injuries. An occupational therapist helped her stay calm by guiding her through breathing exercises. When May’s cowboy boots, which he claimed to wear all the time, started giving him blisters while he carried Bannister, a kind stranger offered him his own boots to wear. The group that was with her shared stories and asked her questions about her life to keep her mind off the pain and prevent her from screaming during the hike down.
Ursula Bannister being carried by Airman Troy May and friends.Photo courtesy of media.defense.gov
Bannister mentioned that it seemed like everyone was “acting like angels from the sky,” and she was really grateful for their support.
May did most of the heavy lifting by carrying Bannister for most of the 1.6 miles down the mountain, switching off with Allen when necessary. To help make the tough and steep journey easier for Bannister, they would put a backpack on the front of the person carrying her and run her legs through the straps to keep them steady.
The young rescuers made sure she got to the hospital and stayed with her until family arrived.
Allen took Bannister to the hospital in her car, while May drove behind them in his car. They stayed at the hospital with her until her son got there.
“I was just overwhelmed with gratitude that these people literally came out of the woods to help me and they were totally unselfish and kind,” Bannister told MSN.
Bannister had to get over 10 screws and a plate put in her leg because it was broken in three spots. Meanwhile, Airman May received a medal for his brave act of saving her.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Troy May from the 62d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron proudly displays the Air Force Achievement Medal at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington on September 13, 2024. The photo was taken by Airman 1st Class Benjamin Riddle.
Lt. Col. Joshua Clifford, the commander of the 62nd AMXS, said, “Service before self is one of the main values of the Air Force, and Airman 1st Class May really showed that with what he did. Our team of Airmen achieves incredible things every day, but we love taking the time to highlight one Airman’s bravery and honor them for truly embodying the Air Force’s core values.”
Airman First Class May shared with ABC’s David Muir that taking her down that evening was tough, but it was the right choice.
A tearful Bannister also offered her “heartfelt thanks” to all of the people who helped her.
“People are amazing,” she told KOMO. “You know we might not agree politically we might not agree socially but we certainly agree on the human platform and people will drop whatever they’re doing to help somebody in need,” Ursula added.