By Dylana Milobar

Injured Kamloops man rescued by helicopter with Vernon Search & Rescue

Feb 24, 2019 | 1:09 PM

LUMBY — Vernon Search and Rescue, along with the helicopter winch team, were called out to rescue a Kamloops man injured while snow-biking near Lumby yesterday afternoon.

Trevor Honigman of VSAR says yesterday afternoon, a large number of snow bikers from around Western Canada and the United States were biking together on Park Mountain north of Lumby.

“One of the gentlemen who was up there enjoying the deep snow just hit a really large gully,” He explains, “He came off his bike, and hurt his back.”

Honigman says the group quickly realized their counterpart may have had a serious injury, so they stabilized the man and called 9-1-1. 

Emergency dispatchers then contacted Vernon Search and Rescue ground teams, and the helicopter wench team respond to the location.

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“In the case of a spinal injury, its important not to move the person,” Honigman explains, “So they just made him as comfortable as possible in that location, and waited for help to arrive.”

Honigman says the man was released yesterday after being taken to the Vernon Jubilee Hospital and treated.

He also had high praise for the group the Kamloops man was with, who was well prepared for a potential emergency situation.

“He had good gear, good clothing, he was in communication with his team. That group he was riding with had GPS, were in-reach, and were able to get the message out to 9-1-1 that he needed to be rescued,” Honigman says, “And without that, it would have been perhaps a different situation.”