|
Mountain bikers injured
Rosalind Duane
rduane@nsnews.com
Two mountain bikers were
rescued during the weekend in two separate accidents on
Fromme Mountain biking trails.
According to North Shore
Rescue (NSR), a 36-year-old Vancouver man was knocked
unconscious after he miscalculated a jump about 40
minutes in on Granny's mountain bike trail on Saturday
afternoon.
NSR members responding to
the call placed a helicopter on standby for a long-line
rescue, after they learned the man had suspected spinal
trauma. However, the man's injuries were stabilized at
the scene so he was removed by stretcher and taken by
ambulance to Lions Gate Hospital.
On Sunday, a female
mountain biker in her 30s was removed by stretcher from
an area 200 metres north of the Baden Powell Trail after
suffering chest injuries when she ran into a tree stump.
A group of about 20 rescuers were involved in the
incident, including NSR members and North Vancouver
District Fire Rescue Services firefighters.
The accident occurred
around noon and about a 10- minute trek from the
trailhead on the Espresso trail, which exits at East
Braemar and Dempsey roads. The rider was treated at the
scene and as in the first rescue, rescuers used a
standard stretcher that has a single soft wheel mounted
to it to traverse the trail with the injured woman. With
only eight pounds of pressure, the wheel is designed to
move the stretcher smoothly over stumps and rocks, and
has been in use for a number of years, said assistant
fire chief Gary Weeks. The rescue took one hour and 45
minutes from start to finish. The mountain biker was
taken to Lions Gate Hospital.
Both riders were
experienced and both were wearing protective equipment,
said NSR spokesman Tim Jones.
"It's just the nature of
the sport," he added. Jones said in both incidents crews
were assisted by the public and the mountain biking
community, who helped carry extra equipment. He said
these kinds of calls are gear and labour intensive and
help is "appreciated and required."
Jones said if a mountain
biker has an accident, it is important for one member of
the group to remain with the injured person and another
member to meet the rescue crew at the trailhead to lead
them to the accident scene since cellphone coverage is
not reliable in those areas. | 
