Eagle Scout Fined $25k for His Mountain Rescue
By Rocky Thompson on July 20th, 2009
A 17-year-old Eagle Scout who was rescued after two days in the wilderness has been given 30 days to pay the $25,000 spent finding his lost ass. A New Hampshire law requires lost hikers to repay the cost of their search operation if their behavior is found to be negligent. It’s a bit odd because the police initially praised the Scout for doing everything correctly after injuring his ankle and getting lost: He built a shelter and used hand sanitizer to jumpstart a fire while waiting two days for help. Now they consider him negligent for not preparing for the aggressive trail in wintry conditions and then trying to make his own shortcut after turning his ankle.
Not sure why you find it a bit odd. He did everything correctly in that once he went off and got himself lost, and the issues they fined him for were for the actions that got him in that mess in the first place.
What wouldn’t they consider neglegent??
Is he the oldest living Boy Scout?
I wonder what happens if they send rescue crews to find you, but you didn’t want to be rescued? Can you refuse service because you do not wish to pay?
You can refuse an ambulance ride for that reason, I wouldn’t be suprised if you can do that for a rescue operation as well
No thank you for the rescue, but which direction are you going to leave by?
He is just a wuss, hurt his little ankle. A friend of mine, she will not be named, broke her ankle on a lead fall climbing and was able to crawl back. Wrap the ankle and deal with it. I guess he wasn’t really prepared by his Scout training.
The moral: If, simply by being overdue with a broken ankle, you make a Fish and Game ranger climb down out of his truck, they’ll make you pay for it, even if they can’t find you until you’re finishing the summit stretch.
haha, yeah just follow them home “refusing” help. “I WAS GOING THAT WAY ANYHOW!!”
So he had a bad ankle, tried a short cut and got lost? I don’t know anything about the trail or how much time/distance he could save with his short cut, but at surface level, that sounds reasonable to me.
This is a terribly stupid idea. The last thing anyone wants is for people to start hestitating to call for help when they need it because of a worry about cost.
This enforcement of the legislation will cost lives.
They made him pay for the same reasons they make the idiots who fall through the lake before the ice is think enough (in MN) pay. The rescue costs the rest of us, who are smart enough not to get into those situations, money and can be a wasteful risk of the rescuers lives–perhaps not a life risk in this case, but it’s the same idea. I’m sure his Scout troop will rally, perhaps contact the Girlscouts to set up a bake sale (well I guess they don’t actually BAKE the cookies, just sell them) and raise the money to pay the fine.
I just think it’s lame he brought hand sanitizer on a hike, WTF.
Oops, before the ice is *thick* enough.
Might as well add some more: Wonder if that kid has ever read the story or seen the short film “To Build a Fire”? Perhaps that should be added to the BoyScout training to reinforce the dangers of solo winter hiking.
Just sounds like the rescue outfit got their budget cut. I would be surprised if this would happen during better economic times.
Why wouldn’t you be expected to pay for your rescue??? You have to pay an ambulance if you need one.. It costs the county, state, national park or whatever service a ton of money to perform SAR operations (which often eventually translates to the money coming from tax payers), and it can often put the rescuers in some danger as well. It would suck to be stuck with a huge SAR bill, but I don’t see how people can expect it all to be free.
Um. 25k? WTF cost 25k? Helicopters, for sure. If there were no choppers involved, then that’s a grip of BS.
“um.. yea. My hourly rate is $750.00. You don’t have a choice to pay me, either. Sucks for you!”
Free, no. But 25k? are you kidding me?
Oh yes, the United Socialist States of America! Where all cops and firemen are HEROS!
Tell’em to eff’ off.
The Scout was negligent. He never should have left the trail. That is basic. If you stay on the trail you will not get lost. We used to teach that and I assume they still do. If you are hurt, someone likely will come along the trail. Taking a shortcut is a risky gamble and can greatly complicate the situation.
Also, trails tend to be the most efficient and certainly the easiest traversed pathway for someone with a “twisted ankle”. Because he had Scout training he acted correctly after he got lost and may well have adverted turning a simple mistake into a tragic disaster. The fine is a cheap considering he could have paid the ultimate price were it not for his Scout training.
This is the logical extension of that thing about ten years ago where a couple of RVers towing a compact car set fire to dozens of miles of wilderness by unknowingly dragging their car along on a bare rim after it got a flat and the rubber blew off. I don’t remember where it was I want to say skyline drive in the south east but it may have been Los Padres National forest in Ca. Either way… the damage was so extensive and their negligence was viewed as being so extreme that they were billed in the neighborhood of a million dollars for the firefighting effort.
(I can’t find details of this online… I think it might be as long ago as early 90s.)
He should pay-
He was by himself? ( not smart),
we have countless idiots who get stranded in a local river, w/ no life vests and very few brains- I wish they all would be fined 25k for sheer stupidity!
Rescue folk risk their lives to save people who insist on doing dumb things- there should be a sizable penalty- and it should involve community service as well.
I think this is totally unfair. What happened to the “buddy system”. Aren’t scouts allowed to use cell phones in New Hampshire??? The blame is not with this young man Eagle Scout, but with the people who allowed him to do this trail not totally prepared – lesson #l always be prepared…..I hope the BSA will step up to the plate and help out with this overpriced rescue.
Anyone hiking alone, even in ideal conditions, has paid no attention whatsoever to basic trail safety. Eagle Scout or not, if was hiking alone in the winter, he should be paying the cost of his rescue.
I agree w/ Cactus. 25K is also over the top. The kid might have been delerious w/ pain when he made the desision to leave the trail. BS to 25K fine. I’ll instruct my Scouts, thanks but no thanks, and follow them out.