A wilderness therapy group is being credited with helping save the life of a man who became trapped under his side-by-side in a remote area of the San Rafael Swell on Sunday.
The Emery County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call during the late afternoon on Jan. 12 from a man who had wrecked his off-road vehicle near Calf Canyon. He was pinned underneath the machine.
Dispatchers obtained the caller’s GPS coordinates and sent help to the crash location. Deputy Lake, already working in the area, arrived first and found that a group from Elements Wilderness Program was already assisting the victim.
The group — which runs outdoor therapy programs for adolescents — had lifted the side-by-side off the man and begun first aid before law enforcement arrived.
Members of the Emery County Search and Rescue Team and law enforcement from the Utah Division of Natural Resources also responded. A medical helicopter transported the victim to a hospital.
Emery County Sheriff Tyson Huntington praised the rescuers in a statement, noting the remote location rarely sees traffic this time of year.
“The odds of people and an ECSO deputy being so close are not great, yet for some reason people were there and were capable of helping,” Huntington said.
To the Elements group, the sheriff added: “You probably saved a man’s life. You selflessly worked together to serve another. That is great — be proud of yourselves.”
EMTs from the Huntington Ambulance Garage also responded to stabilize the patient until the helicopter arrived.
Huntington urged recreationists to be prepared when venturing into remote areas.
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