Quad Adventure Becomes 911 Emergency
On Tuesday, April 9 four friends got together for day of fun in our forest, which is just behind our homes. We packed lunches and dressed for cool weather then off we went. It was not our first adventure of this kind - far from it - we are all expert quad riders and know what these all terrain vehicles are capable of. We had about 17 miles under our tires by lunch. We were hungry for some good old homemade PBJ (Peanut Butter an Jelly) sandwiches accompanied by a power bars and apples.
After lunch our ride led us to a school camp down a deep canyon next to Dog Town Creek. The area was new to us so we spent some time checking it out. Our next stop was going to be an old mine (Twin Pines), which is along the Steely river. Along the way we stopped to play in some snow patches, spinning doughnuts and just having fun! We took the Bear Meadow loop on our way to the Lincoln Hill area.
We had determined previously that we would be back home by 4 p.m. and it was close to 3 p.m. already. We encounter downed trees on the dirt road we were using to get home and while it slowed our travel, with a little effort making log ramps we are able to get over these obstacles.
And then we came upon a log that was approximately 18 inches in diameter. I went across the log first and waited for the next “old guy” to make his way over. During the maneuver he accidentally hit his throttle wide open. It bucked the quad sideways as it went over the log and headed straight over a 70’ cliff.
We watched this happen as if in slow motion and it took a few seconds to believe what we just saw. The remaining three of us ran to the edge of the drop-off and shouted down to Sam to determine if he was OK. He began to stand and stated that his left shoulder hurt as he moved his legs and arms in slow movements. The Quad had quit running and was on its side. I slid down to Sam, about 20 feet shy of the bottom, and after we spoke for a bit he suggested that he would like to just sit while we worked at getting the Quad out of the canyon.
At this point the three of us surveyed the area and determined what it would take to get it out. Thirty minutes later we were successful in getting it up on the road. The next step was to assist Sam. As we began to help him he indicated that he had no feeling in his legs. At that moment we realized this was not going to be a simple climb to the top. We set Sam back down and while one of us stayed with him the rest of us climbed back up.
We took a GPS reading and hit the 911 button on My SPOT (Satellite Personal Tracker). I left the Tracker on site and told the rest that I would go meet the emergency responders and guide them in. I left with Instructions to keep Sam from falling asleep.
My familiarity with the area allowed me to take the closest route to a site that I thought I might be able to get cell service (there are many places up here where cell service is nonexistent). I got one “bar” on the phone and made a direct call to Eldorado County Fire Dispatch, which I keep programmed into my phone. During 7 or 8 disconnects I was able to confirm that the emergency was real and that emergency personnel were being dispatched. I told them I would meet them on Capps Crossing and 9N47 road.
The first of 4 rigs showed up within about 15 minutes. We determined, due to the road conditions, that we would leave the Fire Engine behind and continue the rest of the route via the 4-wheel drive units. It took about 25 minutes to get the crews to Sam and once we arrived the emergency teams got right to work. The Paramedics went directly to Sam with their gear and the Firefighters started setting up for the cliff rescue using carabineers, ascenders, pulleys and their rescue harnesses. They lowered the basket once the Paramedics indicated they were ready for the evacuation. We all assisted in the process of getting the basket up to the road. Once up Sam was transporting by ambulance to the Helicopter pad at Walt Tyler School in Grizzly Flat. He was lifted to Sutter Roseville where it was determined he suffered a broken neck. He has received surgery and, thankfully, is on the road to complete recovery.
This experience proves the value of the SPOT (Satellite Personal Tracker). It provided a service that is worth more than its weight in Gold. For those who enjoy recreating where cell phones don’t work this item is a must on the list of items one takes on any adventure.
The Emergency Teams that responded should all be commended for an outstanding performance during this emergency: Cal/Star 6, Eldorado County Fire, Pioneer Fire and US Forest Service Utility 63
Frank Showers, Sacramento Metro Fire (Ret)