LAKE MATHEWS: Multiple agencies work together to locate, rescue severely injured dirt biker

LAKE MATHEWS — Several different law enforcement and fire department and emergency-care agencies, including Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, Riverside and Corona Police Departments, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department, American Medical Response and three aviation units, worked together to locate and rescue an off-road motorcyclist who sustained major, traumatic injuries when he crashed his motorcycle, Sunday, Aug. 13.

A Riverside PD aviation crew eventually located the downed rider in a remote canyon near Stewart Drive and Dawson Canyon Road, east of the Corona Sportsmen’s Club, according to fire officials.

Riverside police officials were first notified regarding the accident about 6 p.m., after a dirt bike rider called 911 to report that he had been involved in a serious accident. The solo-rider told City of Riverside emergency dispatchers he had crashed and suffered extensive injuries while riding.

The rider, who has not been identified, told dispatchers he was in a “small canyon” and believed he was somewhere near Temescal Canyon and Cajalco Roads, a Riverside PD official wrote in a social media post the day after the rescue.

Because the rider only had intermittent cell service, he could only provide a general idea where he had crashed his dirt bike. The motorcyclist told dispatchers he was badly injured and unable to move from his current location; saying that he was laying on an unknown dirt trail near his motorcycle.

Ten firefighters from three engine companies responded to the scene to assist in searching for and recovering the injured off-road rider, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer Tawny Cabral explained in an incident report. They were assisted by City of Corona firefighters, AMR medics and three aviation units, including Riverside PD’s “Air-1,” Riverside County Sheriff’s “Star-9” and a REACH Air Ambulance.

After being dispatched to the area, Riverside Police pilots Estes and Watson in Air-1 began a systematic search of the area where the rider believed he was. The aviation crew began by checking trails and canyons between Temescal Canyon Road and Lake Mathews; however they were initially unable to locate the man.

As the search continued, City of Corona Police dispatchers were able to obtain and provide a possible location for the injured rider, based off a signal from his cell phone location data.

When Estes and Watson plotted the coordinates provided by Corona dispatchers they determined the rider was nearly eight miles away from where the rider believed he was and where the aviation crew had been searching.

Using the provided coordinates, the pilots quickly located the victim laying next to his motorcycle on a small trail at the bottom of a canyon. After locating the rider, the aviation crew found a safe landing area nearby and landed so they could assess the rider’s injuries and determine a plan to rescue the injured motorcyclist.

The aviation crew quickly determined the rider had sustained severe injuries to his back and chest and may have suffered a punctured lung. The rider was unable to move on his own and required immediate evacuation and advanced medical intervention.

After the aviation crew passed along the rider’s correct location to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire crews and Riverside County Sheriff’s officials, a Sheriff’s aviation crew in Star-9 was summoned to the location to conduct a technical hoist/rescue operation.

Officers Estes and Watson remained with the injured rider until firefighters and paramedics were able to hike to the location on foot. Firefighters and paramedics worked to quickly stabilize the victim and prepare him to be airlifted from the canyon.

Riverside Sheriff’s aviation crew in Star-9 arrived and performed a technical hoist, safely removing the victim from the canyon where he had been injured.

After hoisting the severely injured rider from the canyon, Star-9’s aviation crew flew the victim to a waiting ambulance, that transported the rider to another location where he was picked up and transported to an area trauma center by a REACH Air Ambulance, according to Cabral.

“This is another great example of the dedication of not just our crews, but also our Riverside County Public Safety partners, who day in and day out provide this level of dedication to the communities we so proudly serve,” a Riverside PD official said after the highly coordinated, multi-agency effort.

Officials have not provided any updates regarding the injured rider’s status; however, he is expected to recover from his injuries.

 

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Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.