The summer season in Larimer County has seen its share of outdoor incidents, as the Larimer County Sheriff's Office coordinated a trifecta of search and rescue missions in a single day. According to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, the calls for help spanned across Crosier Mountain, Greyrock, and Corral Creek, taxing the agency’s resources but ending with successful rescues.
First responders sprang into action at around 2 p.m. following a distress call about a hiker suffering a medical issue near Crosier Mountain. Using RapidSOS, dispatchers obtained coordinates rapidly, delivering them to emergency teams, which included personnel from a variety of local emergency services. "Personnel from Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, Estes Valley Fire Protection District, LCSO Emergency Services, LCSO Phantom Canyon fire crew, the Forest Service, and Thompson Valley EMS responded to assist," the Larimer County Sheriff's Office detailed. A UCHealth LifeLine Helicopter facilitated the hiker's transport to a nearby hospital.
Concurrently, at 3:30 p.m., a report came in about another hiker who had taken a perilous 100-foot slide down a rock face on Greyrock trail. A coordinated effort by LCSO Emergency Services, Larimer County Search and Rescue (LCSAR), and UCHealth Special Operations Rescue Team culminated in the hiker receiving initial medical attention on site. With no air support readily available due to the ongoing missions, a helicopter had to be requisitioned from Cheyenne to airlift search and rescue team members to the patient. Despite his harrowing fall, the hiker was deemed fit enough to walk out with assistance, reaching the trailhead by late evening.
The final plea for assistance came close to 5 p.m., as a fisherman at Corral Creek suffered from the combined effects of heat exhaustion and altitude. Upon notification, an LCSO tactical rescue paramedic, a field commander, and LCSAR were dispatched, accompanied by the patient's friend, to undertake the rescue. The patient was carefully carried out to safety following medical stabilisation and a painstaking journey back to the trail. Rescuers and the patient reached the trailhead around midnight, concluding a hectic day of back-to-back rescues. The Sheriff's Office assured on social media, "patients are not charged for search and rescue," acknowledging the critical role of dedicated volunteers from LCSAR and Larimer Dive Rescue.
