Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 18

Hiker Kurt Siuzdak, 61, Resets Dislocated Shoulder on Mount Washington, Reaches Summit

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 18

Hiker Kurt Siuzdak, 61, Resets Dislocated Shoulder on Mount Washington, Reaches Summit

Q: How did a 61-year-old hiker manage to reset his own dislocated shoulder on a treacherous mountain trail?

He managed it through self-relocation, but officials did not disclose the exact technique he used on the trail. The available reports say only that Kurt Siuzdak, 61, dislocated his shoulder after slipping on a wet granite slab below Mount Washington’s summit and was somehow able to “reset” or “relocate” it himself before continuing upward. New Hampshire Fish and Game and follow-up news accounts do not explain whether he used a traction method, braced against a rock, or relied on a maneuver he already knew. What is clear is that he remained mobile after the fall, used the gear he had packed — including warm clothing and a first aid kit — and kept moving slowly and steadily for hours. After another hiker alerted rescuers, conservation officers met him near the top and accompanied him to the summit in case he fell again. At the summit and later at the base, emergency personnel assessed him, and he chose to return to his car and seek urgent care rather than be taken directly to a hospital. So the answer is limited by the public record: Siuzdak did reset the shoulder himself, but authorities have not said how. The episode highlights both his toughness and the risks of Mount Washington’s slick, exposed terrain, where preparation can matter as much as endurance.

Q: Why did rescue officers allow an injured man to continue climbing Mount Washington instead of immediately evacuating him?

Rescue officers allowed Kurt Siuzdak to keep climbing because he was still mobile, alert, and able to continue under his own power, and the summit offered the quickest practical route to evaluation and transport. According to New Hampshire Fish and Game, Siuzdak had already reset his dislocated shoulder himself and was moving slowly but steadily when another hiker called 911. When officers spoke with him, he said he planned to reach the summit and then decide how to get out. Officers told him to stick with that plan and responded to meet him, then flanked him on the final stretch to reduce the risk of another fall. The terrain and logistics also mattered. He was already on Crawford Path between Lakes of the Clouds and the summit, and officers were able to come down from the top to meet him. From the summit, there was immediate access to the Mount Washington Auto Road, allowing officers to drive him down for EMS assessment. That made a summit-assisted self-rescue more practical than a technical evacuation from the trail. There was no indication he needed the kind of urgent extraction used in more severe Mount Washington accidents, such as helicopter or litter rescues for hikers with major trauma or those unable to move. After reaching the summit, Siuzdak was evaluated by emergency personnel, declined hospital transport, and asked to return to his car to drive himself to urgent care.

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 18

61-year-old Kurt Siuzdak dislocated his shoulder and injured his back after slipping on wet granite Tuesday, then reset the shoulder himself and kept climbing Mount Washington.
About 1.5 miles from the summit, the Connecticut hiker chose to continue slowly after the fall, which happened around 10 a.m. near Lakes of the Clouds during a hike that began at 4 a.m.
Around 5 p.m., two New Hampshire Fish and Game officers met Siuzdak still ascending and escorted him as he completed the climb under his own power.
At the summit, emergency personnel evaluated him, but he asked to be taken back to his car so he could drive himself to urgent care.
New Hampshire Fish and Game said Siuzdak had packed recommended extra gear, including warm clothing and a first-aid kit, underscoring the agency's preparedness guidance for Mount Washington hikers.

Sources

Fox News2h ago

Hiker Kurt Siuzdak, 61, Resets Dislocated Shoulder on Mount Washington, Continues Climb

The Boston Globe2h ago

Hiker, 61, makes it to top of Mount Washington despite fall

How did a 61-year-old hiker manage to reset his own dislocated shoulder on a treacherous mountain trail?

Why did rescue officers allow an injured man to continue climbing Mount Washington instead of immediately evacuating him?

What psychological factors drive an injured hiker to push through excruciating pain just to reach a mountain summit?

Sources

2 total

Fox News2h ago

Hiker Kurt Siuzdak, 61, Resets Dislocated Shoulder on Mount Washington, Continues Climb

The Boston Globe2h ago

Hiker, 61, makes it to top of Mount Washington despite fall

Hiker Kurt Siuzdak, 61, Resets Dislocated Shoulder on Mount Washington, Reaches Summit

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