Hiker injured near Mecca trail

Firefighters respond to hiker who fell near Mecca hiking trail

A hiker fell and fractured his ankle at a Mecca hiking trail today and county firefighters responded by taking the man to a hospital.

Firefighters got word at 12:47 p.m. about the injured hiker, who was off a hiking trail near Box Canyon and Painted Canyon roads, April Newman of the Riverside County Fire Department said.

The hiker fell about three-quarters of a mile from the Ladder Canyon trail, a five-mile hiking trail that loops through the Mecca Hills area, authorities said.

The man suffered a compound fracture to his ankle. At 1:45 p.m., about a dozen responding firefighters were preparing to walk the patient out of the trail to an awaiting ambulance.

The patient was removed from the canyon and transported by ground to an area hospital at 2:05 p.m.

KESQ News Channel 3 / CBS Local 2 will have updates on the story as more details are released.