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National Guard rescues cardiac arrest patient in Smokies

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LOUISVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee Army National Guard crews rescued a visitor suffering cardiac arrest Wednesday afternoon in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Officials said the emergency happened around 2:40 p.m. near Dillons Gap along Kuwohi Road, a remote area southeast of Gatlinburg near the North Carolina border.

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion launched from Joint Base McGhee-Tyson shortly after 3:10 p.m. and reached the scene in about 15 minutes.

Flight paramedics and local EMS transferred the patient from an ambulance to the helicopter, where care continued during the flight.

The aircraft landed at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville around 3:55 p.m., where the patient was taken to the emergency room. The crew returned to base just after 4:20 p.m.