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Weather complicates rescue of injured motorcyclist in Bountiful area

Posted at 9:29 PM, May 16, 2015
and last updated 2015-05-16 23:29:26-04

DAVIS COUNTY, Utah -- A day of dirt bike riding for a father and son in Bountiful ended with the Davis County Search and Rescue team being called.

According to Davis County, the father got into an accident and broke his leg while deep in the mountains beyond the large "B" off of Skyline Drive.

After lying helpless for hours, crews were able to find the injured man and take him to safety.

The man injured in this incident is 57 years old. Davis County said the weather made this rescue more difficult than normal.

"It gets rocky, it gets loose, it gets steep," said Josh Jensen, who knows the trails off of Skyline Drive well. He said Saturday was not a good day to be riding them.

"Right at that elevation it was starting to get snow, it was on the verge of sleet a couple hundred feet down, and then it was starting to turn to snow," Jensen said.

The victim's son had to ride more than a mile before he could get cell phone reception and call 911.

"We attempted to get a helicopter but because of weather conditions a helicopter wasn't available," said Deputy Josh Boucher.

Eventually, rescue crews were able to reach the man with ATVs and get him the medical attention he needed. The county says when you choose to do extreme outdoor activities in remote locations you have to be ready for the worst case scenario.

"It doesn't matter what type of weather it is: You gotta be prepared for the conditions, wear the right gear, have something with you just in case you get caught in adverse conditions, weather like this can change quickly," Boucher said.