MORENO VALLEY: Two students injured, one hoisted off mountain trail, during field trip

MORENO VALLEY — Two students on a hiking field trip on Box Springs Mountain in Moreno Valley were injured Friday afternoon, Dec. 1. Firefighters assisting with the remote-area rescue used a helicopter to perform a technical hoist rescue of one of the injured students.

Both students, who were among 80 to 100 other students hiking on the trail with teachers, were safely recovered from the mountain and were treated for injuries described as minor to moderate.

The mountain where the rescue happened is east of downtown Riverside and northwest of Moreno Valley and is best known for several radio and communication towers and the letter “M” on the Moreno Valley side of the mountain, which has been a well-known local feature since 1966.

Emergency first responders were dispatched to the mountain trail about 12:10 p.m., after receiving reports of the injuries. Officials did not specify the nature or extent of the student’s injuries or why one of the two had to be hoisted off the mountainside.

Sixteen firefighters from two engine companies and one truck company responded to the remote area rescue, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer Jody Hagemann explained in an incident report. They were assisted by a paramedic squad.

When firefighters and other medical personnel arrived at the scene, they determined one of the students needed to be hoist rescued from the mountain trail and summoned a Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire helicopter respond to the area to assist.

Cal Fire’s Copter 301 and crew soon arrived in the area and performed the technical hoist and rescue to pluck the injured student from the mountain.

The students were later treated for their injuries and released to their parents. It was not immediately known if the injured students were treated at the scene or taken to a hospital for further treatment.

Officials did not specify what school the students attend, what grade they are in or what their ages were.

 

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as 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, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries 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.