Washington state hunter mistakenly stabs himself with arrow

[September 06, 2014]  SEATTLE (Reuters) - A hunter hiking with a bow and arrow through rugged terrain near Mount St. Helens in Washington state was injured after an arrow from his quiver pierced his leg, and had to be airlifted to safety, an emergency official said on Wednesday.

The hunter's daughter and a friend hiking with him bandaged his leg and scrambled to a higher elevation to find phone service to call for help on Tuesday, said Ben Peeler, chief of North Country Emergency Medical Service.

The man was later hoisted out of the heavily forested terrain marked by cliffs and canyons in Skamania County, about 200 miles south of Seattle, in a basket suspended from a helicopter, and then taken for treatment, Peeler said.

The severity of the hunter's injury and his identity was not immediately available. He was treated at an area hospital. His daughter stayed with rescuers overnight and hiked out on Wednesday, Peeler said.

(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Sandra Maler)

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