A Viral Mountain Rescue Spun Out of Control. Then Came a $450,000 Settlement

A Viral Mountain Rescue Spun Out of Control. Then Came a $450,000 Settlement

On June 4, 2019, a routine hike on Phoenix’s Piestewa Peak turned into one of the most watched rescue videos in Arizona. Katalin Metro, then 74, fell on the trail and needed help getting down. What followed was a hoist that sent her Stokes basket spinning in midair. More than two years later, the Phoenix City Council approved a $450,000 settlement.

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What Happened on Piestewa Peak

Metro was hiking with her husband, George Metro, when she lost her footing. Local reports at the time said she suffered facial and head injuries, including a possible broken nose, plus injuries to her left arm and hip. Phoenix Fire Department crews packaged her in a Stokes basket for a helicopter hoist.

Phoenix Police aviation handled the aircraft. Officials later said a line attached to the basket is meant to keep it from rotating. That line broke. Rotor wash from the helicopter then sent the basket into a rapid spin. Crews raised and lowered the load in an effort to break the spiral. The spinning lasted about 40 seconds. Newsrooms that counted the rotations reported figures ranging from more than 100 turns to roughly 174.

source: Wikimedia Commons / Ted Eytan (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Assistant Fire Chief Shelly Jamison said at the time that mountain rescues are common in Phoenix, but this one drew unusual attention because Metro “started to spin” while packaged on the hoist. Pilot Derek Geisel said lowering the load briefly slowed the rotation, then bringing it back into the downwash started the spin again. Forward flight eventually let crews bring her into the aircraft. She was taken to a nearby ambulance and then to a trauma center.

Watch the original news video of the hoist here: FOX 10 Phoenix rescue footage

The Injuries, the Claim, and the City’s Response

George Metro told KTAR News that two days after the rescue his wife’s face was swollen from burst blood vessels and that she was too dizzy to walk. The couple later said Katalin needed surgery for cervical stenosis, a spinal condition they tied to the spinning, plus weeks of rehabilitation. He told KTAR her medical bills were about $290,000.

In late 2019 the Metros filed a $2 million notice of claim. They alleged physical, emotional, and psychological injuries. The claim also said Katalin did not want a helicopter evacuation and that responders chose air transport anyway. A civil lawsuit followed in Maricopa County Superior Court in 2020.

On December 1, 2021, the Phoenix City Council approved a settlement of $450,000. Some official language described the payment as “up to” that amount. News outlets including ABC15, KTAR, the Associated Press, and the Arizona Republic reported the approved figure as $450,000.

The city issued this statement: “In this situation, the Metros and the City were able to come to an agreement of this disputed claim. The City denies any wrongdoing or liability.”

source: Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 3rd Class David Weydert

Aviation officials said spinning under rotor wash is a known risk in hoist work. Phoenix Police chief pilot Paul Apolinar said a line is used to prevent it and that, in this case, it did not hold. He also said similar spinning had been rare in the department’s hoist history at the time.

Why This Case Still Holds Attention

The video did the work first. Millions of people watched a patient rotate beneath a helicopter over a popular city trail. The legal ending was quieter: a disputed claim, a council vote, and a denial of liability. That combination is why the story still circulates years later.

If you hike urban peaks, this case is a reminder that evacuation method matters as much as the injury that starts the call. If you follow public settlements, it is a reminder that a viral clip can become a multi-year claim file.

What do you think the city should change after a hoist like this? Comment below. Like this piece if you want more verified public-record stories. Subscribe so the next one reaches you first.

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#PiestewaPeak #HelicopterRescue #PhoenixNews #PublicSettlement #MountainSafety

Sources

ABC15 Arizona; KTAR News; Associated Press; Arizona Republic / Yahoo News; FOX 10 Phoenix; 12 News; Fire Engineering; Phoenix City Council public documents as reported Dec. 1–2, 2021.