Briefly...

Tree limb injures hiker

A 66-year-old hiker was injured Wednesday when he slipped on an embankment and had a tree limb impaled through his shoulder and into his neck, officials said.

The Green Valley Fire District received the call around 11:30 a.m., made by another hiker with a cell phone. The victim was reported to be somewhere west of Desert Hills IV in the desert near the water tanks, spokesperson Capt. Melissa Smith said.

A Life Net helicopter was called in to help locate the injured hiker, who was discovered one mile west of Green Valley and a quarter mile south of the mine tailings, said Smith.

The two-inch tree limb impaled in the man’s neck was in close proximity to the carotid artery, though his injuries were not life-threatening, she said.

The hiker was airlifted to University Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition, said Smith.