U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir.
SITKA, Alaska – A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60T Jayhawk aircrew rescue (medevac) an injured all-terrain vehicle (ATV) rider from North Beach, near Sitka, on Thursday.
The MH-60 Jayhawk Medium-Range Recovery Helicopter aircrew safely landed on the beach to conduct the medical evacuation and took the patient to Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel awaiting at the Coast Guard Air Station Sitka.
At 4:14 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Juneau Command Center watchstanders received the rescue request via VHF Rescue Channel 16 from a group of campers reporting that a 61-year-old male had a suspected spinal fracture following an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident on the North Beach.
The injured rider was immobilized and reported having no feeling from the waist down. The campers moved the individual away from the tideline utilizing a tarp due to concerns with the rising ride.
«We’re fortunate that the patient’s friends were equipped with a radio that was capable of calling the U.S. Coast Guard to request assistance,» said Lt. Cmdr. Wryan Webb, assistant operations officer, Air Station Sitka. «Their preparation turned what could have been an extremely painful and potentially hazardous transit back to Sitka into a relatively efficient medevac that brought the patient to a higher level of care in roughly one hour.»
North Beach is located approximately 15 miles northwest of Sitka on Kruzof Island and is accessible only by boat or plane.
–USCG–
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