Thrills in the wild took a sudden turn towards peril yesterday as the Sonoma County Sheriff's Helicopter "Henry-1" responded to not one but two mountain biking accidents in Trione-Annadel State Park. The sheriff's office detailed the tandem rescue efforts in a public statement released on Facebook, describing the airlift of an injured biker from Steve's Trail and Richardson Trail areas where ground crews had initially rendered aid.
The skilled Flight Officer/EMT of H1 executed a precise 200-foot-long line extraction, sweeping the hurt cyclist and a Santa Rosa Fire Department paramedic to an ambulance waiting nearby. But as H1 neared the resolution of the first emergency, another call echoed through the park—the second biker had gone down on the South Burma Trail. The helicopter crew quickly pivoted, hustling to locate and attend to a second patient, whom they again hoisted to safety with their aerial prowess.
Even as the dust settled on these tandem recoveries, there proved no respite for the rescuers of Henry-1. Later the same afternoon, the helicopter was dispatched for a third retrieval within the park's rugged terrain. Details of this latest incident remain sparse, but officials confirm the patient was duly transported to local medical facilities for treatment.
The sheriff's office has not yet released the identities or conditions of the individuals involved in a string of mishaps. More information can be found, and the full sheriff's office statement is viewed on the Sonoma Sheriff's official Facebook page.
