JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) helped a local male who was injured while dirt biking on Wednesday after he sent a text to 911.
At 6:47 p.m., Teton County Dispatch received a text-to-911 message from the man who reported being injured in an accident on upper Flat Creek Road. He was located up the bumpy, backcountry road about a half-mile from the Sheep Mountain trailhead: “a remote and rugged section of Teton County,” TCSAR said in a social media update. The patient had been riding a dirt bike when the accident occurred, causing an injury above the top of his boot.
“Teton County Search and Rescue mobilized a response by sending two teams in off-road vehicles,” TCSAR wrote on Facebook. “The first team located the patient just after 8 p.m. They packaged him for transport inside a side-by-side vehicle, and then transferred him to a Jackson Hole Fire/EMS ambulance near the end of the Elk Refuge Road.”
The team of volunteers returned to TCSAR headquarters by 9:36 p.m.
TCSAR said that the incident serves as a good reminder of the ability to send a text message to 911 when cell service is minimal. It’s also a good idea to pack a headlamp and extra layers for backcountry expeditions in the evenings.
“Our days are consistently getting shorter and temps drop quickly after the sun goes down,” TCSAR said. “Sometimes, your plan for a short outing turns into an unexpected ordeal.”
