Lake County dirt biker rescued

<p>A dirt bike rider smashed into a tree while riding on a remote trail on Cow Mountain Saturday, resulting in a lengthy and difficult rescue by Lake County emergency crews, reported fire officials.</p><p>Lakeport firefighters were called about an injured rider at 11:30 a.m. in the Cow Mountain Recreation Area. Directions to his whereabouts, however were vague, reported Brian Hajik, Lakeport fire official.</p><p>A Lakeport ambulance crew got to the Mendocino-Lake trail on Scotts Creek Road at 11:51 a.m. They were told by people there that the man was less than two miles down a “black diamond” trail not accessible to vehicles due to the difficult terrain.</p><p>A REACH medical helicopter flew over the area but didn’t spot the injured rider. So four Lakeport firefighters — two of them paramedics - began hiking the trail in search of the patient.</p><p>While hiking, other riders came along who told firefighters the injured person was several miles down the trail, and that he’d suffered an injured shoulder and couldn’t ride.</p><p>By 12:30 p.m. the firefighters still hadn’t reached the rider and steps were taken to start a Lake County search and rescue operation.</p><p>The hiking firefighters got to the rider at 1:41 p.m. after travelling 2.8 miles over tough terrain, Hajik said.</p><p>The injured rider only was identified as a man in his 30s. He had walked about two miles from where he’d crashed.</p><p> Firefighters splinted his shoulder and determined he had to walk most of the way out of the area because of the time it would take to bring in a rescue helicopter from Redding, Hajik said.</p><p>They walked the man back up the trail to a volunteer firefighter and a Lake county sheriff’s deputy, who had gone as far as they could on all-terrain vehicles. They then transported him further up the trail to an awaiting ambulance.</p><p>The rider was taken to Sutter Lakeside Hospital at 2:57 p.m. </p><p>Because he was wearing full protective gear and a helmet he may have avoided further injury, Hajik said.</p><p>Lake County sheriff’s officials were investigating the accident.</p><p>The Cow Mountain recreation area crosses into Lake and Mendocino counties and is a popular area for dirt bike riders.</p>