Park County Enlists Help from Sublette for Helicopter Rescue
Written by Andrew-Rossi on July 11, 2017
Park County Search and Rescue this weekend worked with other agencies to evacuate an injured horseback rider from the North Fork.
At 4:37 p.m. on Saturday, Park County dispatch received a call that 61 year old Wendy Hoover from Rhode Island was on a trail ride about 6 miles North of Pahaska when her horse stumbled and fell on her. She suffered a compound fracture of the lower left leg, several broken ribs and a possible bruised lung.
About an hour and a half later, the REACH Air Medical Helicopter was able to locate the victim – but due to thick tree cover and uneven terrain they were not able to land safely. Instead they were forced to land over a mile away, and their medics hiked in to stabilize her injuries.
Deputy Lance Mathess with the Park County Sheriff’s Office says that in order to get Hoover evacuated, they decided to summon a second helicopter with what is called “short haul” capabilities from Tip Top Search and Rescue in Sublette County.
Mathess says that although Park County’s crew would have been able to get the victim out themselves, Hoover’s injuries were severe enough that time was of the essence. He says that Tip Top Search and Rescue arrived on scene at 7:43 p.m., and was able to safely evacuate Hoover at 8:31 p.m. She was flown to the REACH helicopter and subsequently airlifted to Billings Clinic, where her condition is unknown at this time.
