posted November 05, 2025

Luka Mijatovic rescued after hiking accident at Red River Gorge

SLADE, KY — Nov. 5, 2025 — It was laughter and smiles all around as former patient Luka Mijatovic and his family reunited with the Air Methods of Kentucky 3 crew members and local first responders who rescued him following a hiking accident at Red River Gorge near Slade, KY earlier this fall. The reunion took place at Middle Fork Volunteer Fire Department, nestled in the hills of the Daniel Boone National Forest near the spot that the rescue took place.

Members of Air Methods of Kentucky 3, based in Somerset, KY, were joined by members of Powell County Search and Rescue, Wolfe County Search and Rescue and Middle Fork Volunteer Fire Department in meeting with Luka and his family.

“Hearing Luka’s perspective, the search and rescue teams’ perspective, his parents, all of them, we don’t ever hear that side of the story,” said Air Methods Flight Nurse Jess Roberts. “Getting to see that and hear that makes us remember why we do what we do.”

Luka and his friends from Lafayette High School in Lexington went for a hike on Sept. 30 to celebrate fall break but midway through the hike, Luka tumbled down a steep embankment where he hit his head on the ground. His friends were able to call for help but given the remote nature of their location, it took nearly two hours for search and rescue crews to reach him and extricate him to a landing zone where Air Methods of Kentucky 3 was waiting to transport the young man.

Roberts and fellow flight nurse Mike Sizemore, along with pilot Aaron Hamm, responded to the call that day. After a 40-minute flight from Somerset and another 45 minutes waiting for crews to bring Luka to the landing zone, Roberts and Sizemore went into action, assessing the patient before a flight to University of Kentucky hospital in Lexington.

Just over four weeks after the accident, he was happy to meet the people who helped him that day and to thank them in person for being there when he needed them most.

“Ever since my accident, I just feel like I live life a little more blessed,” said Mijatovic. “I truly feel like I had God with me that day and it made me realize I’m not invincible.”

While the reunion was special for Luka and his family, it was also special for the first responders who don’t always get the opportunity to follow up with patients and often go without knowing the final outcome of their patients.

“It’s not very often that we get to circle back with some of the people that we get to help,” said Wolfe County Search and Rescue Chief John May. “The fact that Luka’s family wanted to reach out to us and get together in a little happier situation really means a lot to all of us.”

Air Methods of Kentucky is a CAMTS accredited full-service air medical transport system operating six helicopter bases that serve Kentucky and southern Indiana. The experienced medical crew is highly trained in pediatrics, high-risk OBGYN care, and specialized transport, including patients with intra-aortic balloon pumps.