Sunday, September 2, 2018

Call 911

I hear the sounds of the various vehicles as they are coming up the drive way. Some the sound will go down immediately. They've turned around at the bottom of the drive way and are on the way out. A few swing by the pump house that has the well in it to see if it's a bathroom. I can hear the engine idling and a door closing, then the pump house door closes and the vehicle drives off. Some are coming up the drive way and then letting off the engine while they try and sort out what this is to ask for directions, water, bathroom, and or curiosity. This ATV isn't slowing down. It's as if it's going to go right past the front door and into the river. He jumps off while the vehicle is still moving. He's yelling call 911.

This is becoming more frequent unfortunately. People are riding faster, going off the roads more, and getting all their sitting in an office 9 to 5 out as Weekend Warriors. Usually when they come in the door I have them tell me the problem and I can handle it. No 911 necessary. Not this time.

He says "There's an incoming Life Flight helicopter coming in and they've moved the victim. We need to give them new directions." I ask where the victim is and he says before the Sand Hill. 911 answers and I confirm they have Life Flight coming and guide the helicopter toward the new location. When I hear the whop, whop, whop, coming over Hurrah Pass I head out to the side by side and head for the scene.



Two brothers racing on motorcycles. One passes the other and then takes off. Catching up with the other vehicles in the group they collectively wait for the second brother. He never comes. First brother goes back and finds him in the trail, coughing up blood and with his motorcycle on top of him. Now he's not breathing. After mouth to mouth he is. Another vehicle pulls up and there is a nurse in it and she gets out to help. Then another convoy that was here earlier watching Kobae chase dogs pulls up and the brother returns to his group to get help. One of them races to the top of Hurrah Pass to get phone service. They call 911.
Heading back to the site his brother is gone and a truck with another group has picked up his brother and put him in the back looking for a helicopter landing site? So he comes to me and we bring the helicopter in to the new location. I bring the whole crew back with me to hang out at the lodge with Linny running the show and doing three rooms of check ins while I go with the brother to load up vehicles and meet with the Sheriff at the accident scene. I've been out here a long time and it was easy to track what happen so they all had a complete picture.
We get back to the lodge as a rainbow is developing. The brother has been taken to St. Mary's in Grand Junction and they all need to take off and head there but two of the motorcycles aren't running. We load them in the back of the truck and Linny takes the bikes and five kids to town with the rest of the convoy.
The walkies we're using this year are working out pretty well as Linny and I are in contact a good chunk of the journey to include the other side of Hurrah Pass and through Kane Creek. When she gets back she walks in looking exhausted. I say "You good?" Linny says "Tom, I know the road, no problem. Driving back in the dark, no problem. The five kids, they didn't stop talking the whole way to town. I'm exhausted. Good night."

Linny, my best friend in the whole wide world, welcome to the rescue business. You did good my friend.

3 comments:

cyn said...

You raised a good one.

Unknown said...

Such an asset to have people such as yourselves with level heads in this terrain, thank you doesn't suffice sometimes.

Tom said...

Remember Bill Murray in Ground Hog Day? The kid that falls out of the tree everyday and just before he hits the sidewalk Bill Murray catches him, sets the kid down. kids runs off, Murray says "You've never thanked me once." or something similar.

We just got thanked. We do appreciate it.