A motorcyclist crashed on Highway 1 near Fort Ross Saturday and tumbled roughly 20 feet down a steep slope, triggering a helicopter rescue that ended with the rider airlifted to trauma care while his motorcycle stayed behind at the bottom of the cliff.
The Sonoma County Sheriff's helicopter unit, known as Henry-1, arrived at about 11:20 a.m. near Timber Cove to assist local fire and ambulance crews, according to Patch. The crew lowered a 100-foot rescue line fitted with a specialized seat to reach the injured rider on the embankment below the highway, the outlet reported.
Once secured, the motorcyclist was lifted up the slope and transferred to a medical helicopter, which flew him to a local trauma hospital, Patch reported. The motorcycle itself was left at the bottom of the cliff after the rescue, per the same account. ABC7 News reported that the crash happened near Reef Campground along the route, and that the helicopter crew responded to assist the Timber Cove Fire Protection District and the Coast Life Support District ambulance service. The Sheriff's Office has not released the motorcyclist's identity or provided details about his current condition, according to ABC7.
How the Long-Line Rescue Works
Henry-1 has long-line rescue capability, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. In one rescue, a tactical officer reached a fisherman on a 100-foot line, and the fisherman was hoisted to the aircraft. The Sheriff's Office says the method is used regularly to reach people stranded on cliff faces, in ravines, in swift water and in ocean surf along the rugged Sonoma Coast.
An onboard paramedic, working alongside an EMT-trained tactical flight officer, allows the helicopter to move patients quickly to local hospitals or specialized trauma and burn centers, the Sheriff's Office notes. The unit is typically staffed and on duty for 10 hours a day, with crew members remaining on call for the following 14 hours, and it handles an average of 1,000 missions a year.
A Similar Rescue at Ocean Cove in August
Saturday's rescue echoes another cliffside operation along the same stretch of coastline. In August, first responders used a long-line rescue to lift a person who had fallen 30 feet from a cliff near Ocean Cove Campground, according to The Press Democrat. In that case, Henry-1 was dispatched to the campground shortly after 3:15 p.m., lifted the patient on a stretcher, and flew them to a waiting Sonoma County Fire District helicopter for transport to a local trauma center, the newspaper reported. Officials said the person had suffered severe injuries, though information about their condition was not available two days later, per the Press Democrat's reporting.
