A helicopter was required Monday to help pluck an injured mountain biker to safety after the rider crashed on a remote trail in a wooded area on the Westside.
According to Darren Lee, assistant fire chief with West Kelowna Fire Rescue, the rider was airlifted out by Penticton and District Search and Rescue’s Helicopter External Transport System (HETS) team, after being it was called in by local rescue crews.
Lee said West Kelowna Fire Rescue responded around 1:15 p.m. Sunday after receiving a report of the injured mountain biker, who crashed on the trails adjacent to the upper portion of Smith Creek Road in West Kelowna.
The West Kelowna rescue team had to hike several kilometres into the forest to get to the injured rider and rather than try to carry the rider out, coordinated with Central Okanagan Search and Rescue and B.C. Ambulance to call in the helicopter from Penticton.
“The HETS Team responded with Eclipse Helicopters and were able to safely and successfully long-line the patient to a parking area on Smith Creek Road,” said Lee. “The patient was loaded into a BC Ambulance and transported the Kelowna General Hospital.”
The extent of the rider’s injuries was not released.
