2 injured hikers rescued by helicopter

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. - A helicopter was used to help rescue two men who injured themselves Friday during separate hiking trips, officials said.

The first rescue took place about 5 p.m. after a hiker fell and gashed his shin. The man, in his 20s, was climbing Mount Index with a companion at the time of the accident.

The The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office helicopter helped both men off the mountain. The injured man was taken to Valley General Hospital, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Rebecca Hover.

The second search-and-rescue happened just before dusk. A 24-year-old Everett man was hiking in the Copper Creek area near Darrington when he fell and broke his leg. He, too, was brought out by helicopter and taken to an Everett hospital.

Neither man was seriously injured.