La Plata County Search and Rescue spent four hours Friday helping a man with a broken ankle out of the backcountry north of Durango.
The man was mountain biking on the Pinkerton/Flagstaff Trail when he fell and suffered a broken ankle, rendering him immobile, said Ron Corkish, with Search and Rescue.
The man, who was with someone else, was able to use a cellphone to report the injury.
He was located 5 miles from the nearest trailhead, on the east side of the Hermosa Creek drainage between Hermosa and Rockwood, on the west side of U.S. Highway 550, Corkish said.
Search and Rescue advised the man to stay put and make himself comfortable. Ground crews began making their way to the man.
A CareFlight medical helicopter was dispatched to a landing site about a half mile from the injured man. By then, ground crews had reached the man, put him on a gurney-type apparatus called the Wheel to get him out, and met the helicopter, Corkish said.
The man was then flown to Mercy Regional Medical Center.
Corkish said about 16 volunteers with Search and Rescue participated in the rescue.
Both men had a Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (CORSAR) card, which allows the local Search and Rescue team to seek reimbursement from the state before billing the patient.
shane@durangoherald.com
