Injured Rescuer Sues OC Hiker

SANTA ANA (AP) — A volunteer who broke his back while searching for two hikers lost in the Orange County wilderness is suing one of the hikers.

Nick Papageorge claims he fell more than 100 feet off of a cliff while looking for then 18-year-old Kyndall Jack and 19-year-old Nic Cendoya. Attorney Eric Dubin says medical care has cost Papageorge approximately $500,000.

The lawsuit filed in Orange County court alleges Jack was unprepared and had intended to take hallucinogens.

Cendoya later pleaded guilty to drug possession when methamphetamine was found in his car.

The lawsuit names only Jack, and Dubin wouldn't explain why the other hiker was left out.

The search for the hikers in April 2013 involved many emergency workers and volunteers.

A call to Jack's home was not immediately returned.

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