DCSO SAR has busy start to weekend, rescuing injured motorcyclist SE of Bend, fallen hiker at Paulina Lake
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Memorial Day weekend got off to a busy start for Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, with two missions in 24 hours: an off-road motorcyclist injured in a crash southeast of Bend and a hiker injured in a fall near Paulina Lake.
Deschutes County 911 dispatchers got a call around 2:30 p.m. Friday about a motorcycle crash in the East Fort Rock OHV trail system near milepost 17.5 of China Hat Road, Sergeant Jason Wall said.
The caller said a 63-year-old woman had been riding on OHV Trail 18 when she crashed on her motorcycle and suffered non-life-threatening injuries that limited her mobility, Wall said.
The call was directed to Bend Fire and Rescue, but due to the location, Bend Fire requested the aid of Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue volunteers.
Wall said the patient was reported to be about 1 ½ miles from the nearest ambulance-accessible road, China Hat Road (Forest Service Road 18). Vehicle access to the area also was limited, as it was a single-track motorcycle trail, though others in the woman’s report said an ATV could reach the area.
SAR volunteers were dispatched around 2:45 p.m. and eight volunteers with six SAR ATVs responded, along with two Special Services deputies assigned to SAR, Wall said.
Shortly before 4 p.m., a Special Service deputy arrived in the area and met with two motorcyclist who were riding with the woman at the time of the crash. Wall said they helped identify the quickest trail access to the patient.
Around 4:10 p.m., the two SAR teams arrived at the staging location and deployed on ATVs, reaching the woman in about five minutes.
Her injuries were evaluated by SAR medical team members, and she was loaded into a litter and onto a patient transport ATV towed trailer. Wall said she was brought to China Hat Road, where Bend Fire & Rescue staged with an ambulance to take the woman to St. Charles Bend.
In the weekend’s second incident, dispatchers got a call shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday about an injured hiker on the Paulina Lakeshore Trail in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, near Paulina Lake Lodge, Wall said.
The caller said a 66-year-old woman fell while hiking, resulting in injuries that prevented her from walking.
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue was activated, and seven volunteers responded for the mission, the sergeant said.
Two SAR teams responded to Paulina Lake Lodge to access the trail, while Sheriff’s Marine Patrol deputies also responded to assist, as the Lakeshore Trail was accessible in part by both.
Both parties arrived at the Lakeshore Trailhead shortly after noon. SAR Team 1 arrived at the patient about 10 minutes later and began evaluating the hiker’s injuries, while Team 2 arrived with a wheeled litter.
The woman was brought by wheeled litter to a boat-accessible location on Paulina Lake. She was then placed on a Marine Patrol boat, arriving at the lodge boat dock around 1:15 p.m. La Pine Fire & Rescue paramedics took her by ambulance to St. Charles Bend.
