A team of rescuers bushwhacked through a section of woods to rescue an injured mountain biker in Vermont over Labor Day Weekend.
A team from Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team responded to a report of a mountain biker with a “significant injury” at Perry Hill in Waterbury, Vermont shortly after 2 p.m. on Monday, September 7.
The rider had reportedly been injured from a downhill fall.
Arriving on scene first, Waterbury Ambulance crew members spoke with one of the riders in the injured person’s party, who said the injured rider was deep into the Perry Hill trail network.
Members of the backcountry rescue team gathered at the trailhead, and a two-person hasty team was dropped about 3/4 mile from the patient via UTV. After locating the patient, the hasty team completed a medical assessment and then used a full body splint to prepare the patient for transport.
An additional team of rescuers was shuttled to a closer access point for the incident, Interstate 89, and deployed to the patient. Once the additional rescuers reached the patient, they loaded the rider into a stokes litter and began to carry the injured rider out.
Given their position on the trail network, the most direct route was to bring the patient down and bushwhack back to the awaiting ambulance on Interstate 89.
The rider was transferred to the ambulance crew and rescuers quickly cleared from the interstate. In total, 14 backcountry team members participated in the rescue. The incident was completed at 4:45 p.m.
