Firefighters and park rangers assisted two people who were injured after falling from mules along the Kalaupapa Trail.

The incident happened around 10:10 a.m. Thursday about halfway down the steep, 3.2-mile trail.

Rangers from Kalaupapa National Historical Park hiked up to the site and treated a 54-year-old man from Novato, Calif., who suffered head injuries and was knocked unconscious. Also hurt was a 36-year-old female Molokai Mule Trail guide, who suffered head and torso injuries.

Firefighters transported the man via helicopter to waiting paramedics on Kalae Highway. He was then taken to Molokai Airport and medevaced to Maui Memorial Medical Center in serious condition.

The woman was also airlifted off the trail and transported to Molokai General Hospital in serious condition.

Lawsuit filed over Maui lease dispute

WAILUKU >> The Hawaii Health Systems Corp. filed a lawsuit claiming land leases it entered into with the Pacific Cancer Institute are illegal and should be voided.

The corporation filed the suit Tuesday over the land leases it entered in 2005 and 2012, the Maui News reported.

The corporation said the 2012 lease violates two federal laws, while the institute said those allegations are inaccurate.

Parties on both sides of the lawsuit said maintaining radiation cancer treatment for Maui County patients is a priority. The institute provides the island’s only radiation therapy.

The quasi-government health systems corporation said it reached a stalemate with the institute after more than a year of lease negotiations.

It said the lease violates the Stark Law and the anti-kickback statute, which prohibit hospitals from providing free or discounted goods or services.

“Under these laws, PCI is required to pay HHSC the fair market value of the goods and services that it currently receives at no cost or steeply reduced cost,” the corporation said. “These goods and services include utilities, patient and staff parking, common area usage, generator usage and, until very recently, linen service, medical gasses, pest control services, facility improvements and many other items that are not adequately addressed in the existing ground lease.”