‘We knew it was serious’: Police officer suffers medical emergency on New Hampshire hiking trail

By Troy Lynch

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    SHELBURNE, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A Massachusetts police officer is in stable condition after suffering a medical emergency while hiking in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Fish and Game officers and volunteers with Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue led the rescue effort on Saturday. Fish and Game officers said the rescue attempt was one of the hardest they experienced due to the weather and the need for more rescuers.

“It initially looked pretty dire. I’ll be frank,” said Lt. Mark Ober with New Hampshire Fish and Game.

The overnight hiking trip turned into a serious medical emergency for Stephen Fredericks, 49, who is a sergeant at the Chelmsford, Massachusetts Police Department.

He was hiking with other people and several of them are trained EMTs that work at the same department.

“Very nice to know that there were medically trained people on scene who were not overexaggerating the symptoms,” Ober said.

Five miles into hiking the Carter-Moriah Trail in Gorham, he lost consciousness for an unknown reason.

“That’s why I called for the Blackhawk (helicopter) because it didn’t sound good at all,” Ober said.

Torrential downpours and thunderstorms prevented a helicopter rescue. Ober called in volunteer rescuers from around the state who arrived a few hours after the first call.

It took about 11 hours and a combined 28 people, but Fredericks was able to get to a hospital around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

Chelmsford police chief Colin Spence said that Fredericks is in stable condition and said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time. It was a great effort by the NH Fish and Game Department along with the Gorham Police Department.”

Fredericks was taken to a hospital in Berlin and is now a Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

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