A police medic hiked several kilometres to rescue an injured man who had fallen on a cliff face in the Duffy Lake Mountain area.
The Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP detachment detailed the incident in an April 17 press release.
Police say that, on April 14, a 60-year-old man was riding a dirt bike in the remote area of Duffy Lake Mountain with limited access. The incident occured around 1 p.m., when the man crashed and fell about 12 feet down an embankment before stopping on a cliff face.
Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP, B.C. Emergency Health Services and Kamloops Search and Rescue all pitched in to save the stranded man.
“This was a multi-agency response,” said Cpl. Dana Napier, Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP detachment spokesperson.
Napier said that, fortunately, the Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP detachment had a police medic working at the time of the call who was able to hike in several kilometres to locate the rider, who was suffering from lower leg fractures and other serious fall-related injuries.
“Without the police medic’s intervention, the outcome for the injured rider could have been much different,” Napier said.
Staff Sgt. Del Byron of Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP said that, due to the remote location, it was essential that first responders provided life-saving medical care, while Kamloops Search and Rescue was instrumental in the coordination of the extraction.
“Air Rescue One Heli Winch Society (AROHWS) provided the helicopter, which was used in the evacuation of the man who was provided care for approximately eight hours while ground rescue hiked in with essential equipment for the rescue and extraction,” Byron said.
The rider is expected to make a full recovery, and no criminality is suspected in the case.
“The Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP detachment would like to thank B.C. Emergency Health Services, Kamloops Search and Rescue and AROHWS,” the police say.