December 13, 2023 |
Photo – tracked vehicle used on rescue – Courtesy CCSAR
Carbon County Search and Rescue performed three back-to-back rescue operations over the weekend.
Around 9:00 pm this past Saturday, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a stranded hunter at a popular hunting spot south of Rawlins called Green Ridge. Search and Rescue volunteer Mike Lujan said an SAR member was able to coordinate the search from Bairoil.
Lujan said over a dozen Search and Rescue volunteers scoured the forest using tracked vehicles while Classic Air Medical searched from the sky. Despite heavy snow and high winds, Lujan said Classic Air spotted the man attempting to hike out of the forest. The search and rescue volunteer said never try to self-rescue in this type of situation.
Lujan said by the time searchers found the man, he was severely hypothermic. Classic Air flew the injured hunter to Memorial Hospital of Carbon County where he made a full recovery.
Lujan said after rescuing the hypothermic hunter, Carbon County Search and Rescue assumed they were done for the night. Lujan reiterated the fact that you should never leave your stranded vehicle, especially during a snowstorm.
Lujan said while in-route to Memorial Hospital in Rawlins from the rescue scene, the hypothermic hunter mentioned having a friend with him. Lujan said hypothermia can make people hallucinate. Despite his condition, the team believed the man and quickly located the hunter’s missing friend.
Lujan said the Classic Air pilot returned to the area and landed the helicopter in a tiny clearing under extreme weather conditions.
Lujan said the second man stayed with the vehicle and lit a fire to stay warm. Lujan said a fire is a good way to signal rescuers of your location.
Lujan said the two hunters are locals who were caught off guard by Saturday night’s snowstorm.
With the two men safely taken to the hospital, Lujan said he and the other search and rescue volunteers returned to their command center in Rawlins. Before the searchers could recuperate from the night’s events, Lujan said they received a third rescue call. Lujan said two families of rabbit hunters were stranded near the Continental Divide. The search and rescue volunteer said he was able to speak to the hunters and determined that medical assistance may be required.
Lujan said search and rescue volunteers took the sheriff’s tracked rescue vehicle, called a Hagglund, back into the snowstorm to rescue the two families.
Lujan said the three rescue operations were a team effort. He thanked the combined hard work of multiple county agencies, nine people were safely rescued over the weekend, including two kids and a dog.
Lujan said this is the time of year for sudden winter storms. The search and rescue volunteer encouraged people not to follow GPS instructions onto unmaintained roads. Lujan said to always stay with your vehicle if you find yourself stranded in the wilderness of Carbon County.
