By Heather Ruenz
Editor
What began as a somewhat typical rescue call in the Kettle Moraine area turned into an 8-hour affair Monday night when a mountain biker was injured in an area of thick brush off of the Emma Carlin Trail.
According to James Small, Palmyra Police Chief and Public Safety Director, crews from Eagle and Palmyra were dispatched at 7:20 p.m. to the Emma Carling Trail Head on County Highway Z in the Town of Palmyra for a report of a mountain bike rider who was injured several miles in on the trail.
The bicyclist, a press release from Small stated, had suffered a significant injury and was not able to assist in being removed from the trail system.
Crews responded to the trail head where several groups of fire and rescue personnel were deployed onto the trail system, “but found the trail system to not be passable due to rugged terrain and heavy vegetation,” the release stated.
A search crew comprised of firefighters were able to locate the individual and began administering EMS care, Small reported. Once the exact location of the injured person was determined, additional personnel were deployed into the forest to remove the person to safety.
Firefighters encountered thick vegetation and rugged terrain that required large numbers of personnel to carry the injured person several miles to safety, the release said.
Eight hours after the initial call to 911 had been received, the injured person was placed in an ambulance and transported to the trail head. From there the injured patient was flown by Flight for Life to a Milwaukee-area hospital. The patient’s injuries are not believed to be life threatening, Small stated in the release.
Other agencies assisting the Eagle Fire Department & EMS and Palmyra Fire & Rescue included: Whitewater EMS, North Prairie Fire Department, Mukwonago Fire Department, Fort Health Care Paramedic, Dousman Fire Department, Palmyra Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Dispatch Center and the Waukesha County Communications Center.
No additional details were available as of press time.
