Firefighters carry injured woman out of Lynn Canyon

A 20-year-old woman who slipped and fell off a steep bank in a popular North Shore park had to be lifted out by a technical rope rescue team and then carried out by firefighters.

District of North Vancouver assistant fire chief Mike Cairns said the woman fell into Lynn Creek, and appeared to have landed on her right ankle on the rocks.

When the call came in, the woman was in the water just upstream from the 30-foot pool area at Lynn Canyon Park.

By the time firefighters arrived, she was out of the water but in the bottom of a very steep area.

"We ended up lowering a couple of firefighters down on rope system, stabilized the patient, loaded the patient into a basket... and then brought her up the bank," Cairns said.

Cairns said the woman appears to have been going for a swim with friends. He said hundreds of people were using the park Saturday and all park users need to keep in mind that the canyon can kill.

"The canyon's dangerous. It's steep. Areas are slippery. It's very unforgiving, so use extreme caution," he said.

Cairns said hikers and swimmers should stay out of fenced-off areas around the creek, should wear proper footwear on all trails, and should, above all, "just be careful."