Durango Fire Protection District responded Saturday to two separate reports of mountain bike crashes involving one person injured and stranded at Junction Creek and another found unresponsive at Purgatory Resort.
Emergency responders located and rescued a person, who is approximately 50 years old, at Junction Creek. DFPD Battalion Chief Jim Anderson said the person fell of a trail and tumbled 130 to150 feet to the creek.
A man at Purgatory Resort, described to be in his 50s or 60s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
DFPD received a call about the man at Purgatory Resort around 2:30 p.m. The man appeared to have crashed his mountain bike, Anderson said. The man reportedly displayed some seizure-like symptoms when he rode by others. After his bike tipped over and he fell to the ground, he was found to lack a pulse.
A fire engine, medic unit and EMS safety captain were dispatched to the scene where crews treated the man for cardiac arrest. Anderson said a helicopter was requested from Flight For Life Lifeguard 5 Base at Mercy Hospital, but the request was canceled when the patient did not respond to treatment and was declared dead.
Purgatory spokeswoman Theresa Graven said the man reached the bottom of chair lift 1 when he fell off his bike because of what appeared to be a medical incident. Purgatory Bike Patrol initially responded, then transferred care to DFPD once crews arrived.
Anderson said emergency dispatch was alerted to the Junction Creek crash shortly before 1 p.m. Four fire apparatuses and seven or eight crew members were sent to the crash site.
“Our crews went in, packaged the patient, and then set up a rope system to bring them back up to the trail and then used the wheel to get them back out to the ambulance,” he said.
It took about 20 minutes to rescue the patient from the creek side. Once the patient was placed on a transportation device for rougher terrain that resembles a mountain bike with a steel platform, it took another 20 to 30 minutes to transport the patient to an ambulance, Anderson said. The patient was subsequently transported to Mercy Hospital.
Multiple bystanders were already on the scene when crews arrived, he said. They were unable to call 911, lacking adequate mobile phone service, but were able to send a text message.
Crews found the patient using Global Positioning System coordinates, Anderson said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
