COW MOUNTAIN ? Paramedics hiked through almost three miles of harsh terrain Saturday in the Cow Mountain Recreation Area to find and help a man with a shoulder injury, the Lakeport Fire Protection District reported.
Fire Chief Ken Wells could not release the man”s name, but said the man in his 30s wasn”t seriously injured after losing control of his dirt bike and hitting a tree.
The man was wearing full protective gear, including body armor and a helmet that probably saved him from serious injury, Wells said.
Due to the rough terrain and limited information on the patient”s location, it took paramedics more than two hours to locate the man from the 11:30 a.m. call.
“Trail 25 is one of the toughest trails out there,” Wells said. “Motorcycles don”t usually have a problem, but we can only use Jeeps and quads to transport patients.”
Initial reports to emergency personnel were “vague regarding the patient”s location and his status,” the fire district reported in a press release.
A Lakeport ambulance arrived at Mendo-Lake Road and Trail 25 at 11:51 a.m., fire officials said. People who reported the crash said the injured man was one and a half miles down a “black diamond” trail and all-terrain vehicles could only drive half a mile down the road because of bad road conditions and trees across the trail.
A REACH helicopter flew over the area to search for the injured man but could not find him, the fire district reported.
Four Lakeport firefighters, including two paramedics, started walking down the trail, fire officials reported. They soon found other bike riders who said the man was a few miles down the trail with a shoulder injury that stopped him from riding out.
At 12:30 p.m. rescue personnel called for Lake County Search and Rescue and a California Highway Patrol rescue helicopter from Redding because firefighters had not found the man, the fire district reported.
Paramedics found the man at 1:41 p.m. The man had walked two miles from the crash toward rescue personnel, fire officials reported. Paramedics assessed the man, gave him a splint and decided to walk him out rather than wait for air support.
Rescue personnel walked the man to a Lakeport volunteer firefighter”s all-terrain vehicle and Sheriff”s Department all-terrain vehicle that had traveled as far as they could down the trail before road conditions became too severe, the fire district reported. The all-terrain vehicles transported the patient to an ambulance that took him to Sutter Lakeside Hospital at 2:57 p.m.
Wells urges bikers to be careful when riding in the area, he said.
No injuries to emergency responders were reported and law enforcement is conducting the accident investigation. The Lake County Sheriff”s Office, CHP and REACH assisted in the operation.
Contact Katy Sweeny at ksweeny@record-bee.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
