The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
After quick response, patient sent to GVH for treatment of a broken leg
By Alissa Johnson
Crested Butte Search and Rescue (CBSAR) responded to a snowmobile accident out Washington Gulch on Saturday. The rescue team transported the rider, a 31-year-old female with a broken leg, to the trailhead, where she was transferred to an ambulance and Gunnison Valley Hospital (GVH) for treatment.
According to information provided by the Mt. Crested Butte Police Department, the accident took place below the Top of the World lookout. It appeared the rider went off a blind drop, fell six to eight feet and landed on top of the sled.
Alex Riedman, team leader for the mission, said CBSAR received the page around 1 p.m. About six team members met at the CBSAR cache by 1:30 p.m. and proceeded to the Washington Gulch trailhead, where they were met by the reporting party and additional search and rescue members.
“We ended up with 10 team members going into the field,” Riedman said. They left the trailhead in three waves, including an initial “hasty team” of four, and made patient contact at 2:24 p.m.
“That’s really pretty fast to get the call at 1 p.m. and have a really good group of people there in that amount of time,” Riedman said. A paramedic and a nurse were on-scene.
Riedman said there were about eight snowmobilers on-scene, and they “did an amazing job of keeping her warm and calm. They dug out the snowmobile and a platform to package the patient and get her ready to go.” They also packed out a smooth snowmobile track that helped CBSAR reach the woman and get her out.
CBSAR began taking the patient out of the field around 3 p.m., initially pulling her downhill on a Cascade toboggan, and after about a mile, transferring her to an enclosed toboggan so she would be out of the elements and protected from spraying snow from the snowmobile. They transferred her to the ambulance at 4:02 p.m. and she was transported to Gunnison Valley Hospital.
While it was an unfortunate situation, Riedman said it was impressive to see how quickly the patient was rescued and a good reminder of how amazing this community can be. “The search and rescue team and the friends she had out there show how close-knit everyone is here, and how everyone can come together is incredible.”
