Hiker rescued on Bibbulmun Track
A 44-year-old Brisbane mother of three, who hit her head and blacked out for four hours while hiking the Bibbulmun Track yesterday, has thanked local police who came to her rescue.
Nivia Pryor, who was three days into a 55-day solo hike to raise money for autism research, alerted authorities after she regained consciousness by activating a GPS tracking device.
She believes she twisted her knee during a storm about 10am yesterday and hit her head on a rock, knocking her unconscious.
When she woke she hit the panic button on the GPS device, which sent an SMS to her partner’s mobile phone. He then contacted WA police.
Ms Pryor then limped to a nearby shelter on the track after it started to hail.
Police and DEC officers in four-wheel-drives found Ms Pryor near Tableland Road in Sawyers Valley near dusk, a police spokesperson said.
“I was very, very pleased to see them,” Ms Pryor said.
She was taken to Swan Districts Hospital for treatment and then spent the night at a local officer’s home.
Ms Pryor was trying to walk from Kalamunda to Albany to raise money for Autism Spectrum Australia as her 16-year-old daughter is on the autism spectrum, she said.
She credited the GPS device with saving her life.
Ms Pryor said she would try to return to WA to complete the walk once her knee had healed.
