The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Scarp Ridge incident
A New Year’s fireworks celebration turned ugly for a Crested Butte man in his mid-30s this past holiday. Crested Butte Fire Protection District emergency crews transported a man who had severely injured his left hand when a firework blew up early on New Year’s Day.
According to dispatch records, the man was with his friends on Scarp Ridge above Irwin Lake for New Year’s Eve. They called in the emergency at 1:53 a.m. on January 1. The Emergency Medical Service crew went to the Kebler Road trailhead where they met the man, who was brought down on a snowmobile. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy rules prohibit his name from being released.
CBFPD EMS coordinator Dave Crowl said that it was obvious the injury to the hand was critical. The man was taken to the Gunnison Valley Hospital by ambulance where the attending physician decided to airlift him to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction. He was flown by helicopter to the facility where he underwent surgery. As of Tuesday, January 3, he was still at St. Mary’s and listed in good condition.
