Woman thrown from horse in Three Sisters Wilderness rescued

Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue came to the aid Monday evening of a 74-year-old Lane County woman who was thrown from her horse and injured in the Wickiup Plains area of the Three Sisters Wilderness, officials said.

Robert Andreasen of Fall Creek, Oregon called Deschutes County 911 around 6:15 p.m. to report his wife, Sharon Kay Andreasen, had been thrown from her horse, was injured and needed help, said Deputy Jeff Winters, assistant SAR coordinator.

Robert Andreasen said his wife was on the Wickiup Plains trail, near the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail, Winters said. Immediately after the incident, he rode his horse out to the Devil’s Lake trailhead, where he made the 911 call.

He told dispatchers his wife was alone and had potentially serious injuries. He also said his wife’s horse ran off after throwing her.

Within minutes, Deschutes SO SAR was notified and 13 volunteers and a deputy responded to the call, Winters said.

In addition, it turned out that three SAR members were recreating at Mt. Bachelor. They immediately headed to the woman’s location and were the first on scene, while another two-person “hasty team” responded from Bend, Winters said. Another eight-member team was formed to help with the litter extrication if needed.

After reaching Sharon Andreasen and assessing her injuries, crews determined an air ambulance would be needed to safely extricate her from the wilderness, Winters said.

The second hasty team arriving on scene was able to catch the woman’s horse and secured it to a tree. The woman’s husband returned to retrieve her horse.

Shortly before 9 p.m., an Air Link helicopter landed near Sharon Andreasen’s location and she was flown to St. Charles Bend with what Winters called serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The SAR team then made the nearly four-mile trek back to the trailhead.

Winters said it was not known the riders’ experience level or what caused the horse to throw the woman off.