Couple Calls Helicopter Rescue Off Maine Mountain 'Dramatic And Efficient'

BOSTON (CBS) -- Serenity Coyne will go through about six months of surgeries as she recovers from a hiking accident at Acadia National Park in Maine. This past Labor Day she was hiking Dorr Mountain with her husband when a boulder fell on both of them, crushing Serenity's leg so badly that she had to be taken off the mountain by a helicopter.

"We are fighting for the leg but we are not fighting for her life anymore," says her husband Michael over Facetime from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The couple describes themselves as "extreme sports adventurists and enthusiasts." They're climbers, not hikers, according to Michael. "It's a subtle difference but anyone in the community would know the difference," he says.

After making it to the summit of Core Mountain in record time, bad weather forced them to retreat, and then the couple stopped.

"[Serenity] was testing a boulder, just put her hand on it very very lightly, not weight bearing, and a 400-500 pound boulder released. It fell on her, it crushed her leg, and then it hit me, and it was going to roll back on her. I was somehow able to, with a surge of adrenaline, able to push the boulder off both of us," recalls Michael.

"I could see it almost like in slow motion coming at me. And then it was almost like a very surreal moment, that it hit me, and I don't remember a whole lot, but the pain was just so much I was focused on just being," says Serenity.

Michael was able to stop the bleeding with knowledge from his past job training: he was a State Trooper for years after retiring from the Marines where he served in Desert Storm. "It felt like a very familiar moment to me because I've been a trooper for 20 years and I just felt like I was on the job again working."

"Then in what could only be called one of the most dramatic and efficient rescues in the forest service, Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor Paramedics, the clouds cleared and the helicopter was able to swoop in and rescue my wife."

About 40 people in all assisted Serenity off the mountain. First, Bar Harbor Paramedics, then a doctor, Acadia Search and Rescue Forest Service, and a helicopter.

"The helicopter really couldn't get in because of the clouds but like on cue, the clouds parted and a man jumped out on a rope and...flew through the air on rope and swooped down and once we got situated in the right position, he was able to rescue her," says Michael.

The lift did not faze Serenity, though. "Not scared at all. The gentlemen was hooked into me on the side, and was kind of holding me, and I felt very safe in his arms. And we just swooped over the valley, and it was beautiful."

Serenity was flown to in the Bar Hospital Hospital and then the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor where she was stabilized. She has moved again to Beth Isreal.

"I'm a nurse and now I'm on the other side of that fence." Serenity says she broke her tibialis, fibular, shattered her heel bone, and has multiple soft tissue injuries. "They were able to save the leg and the foot is a question mark although I feel really good about being able to save the foot as well," she says.

"This kind of thing can be scary for people, as a state trooper and a nurse we've dealt with life and death pretty much our whole careers but we don't want people to become afraid of nature," says Michael, who mentioned that they use their extreme adventures to raise awareness and help people facing adversity.

Another message that they have? Preparedness is key: bring extra water, extra clothing, and keep your phone fully charged. "Just respect nature, and keep it clean and love her and she's worth the risk," explains Michael.

Despite her current situation, Serenity is positive she will hike again. After making rounds to thank all the volunteers to help rescue her, she plans to go back to Dorr Mountain with any members of the rescue crew that are willing to join.

"I just want to meet with all those teams and take a hike back up to the summit of that mountain, another sunrise hike, and then on the way down, just the way it happened, just stop at the spot and make my peace with it."