Off-duty US air force officer saves fallen climber on Yosemite’s Half Dome

Joshua Haveman employed tactical combat casualty care to patch up the wounded hiker's badly mangled legs and help him to safety

An off-duty US air force flight instructor braved strong winds, hail and slippery conditions to rescue a fellow climber who had fallen about 80ft (24.4 meters) down a slippery slope at Yosemite national park this past Labor Day weekend, according to the military branch.

Joshua Haveman's valiant actions not only earned him a hero's praise from his air force colleagues - but they also prevented another hiking tragedy from occurring after the last few months have seen multiple hikers lose their lives amid a range of perilous conditions.