ST. GEORGE — A man was taken to the hospital after crashing a dirt bike on a rough all-terrain vehicle trail, causing a temporary closure to southbound traffic on Interstate 15 in the area of Arizona milepost 1.5.
Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire District was dispatched to the incident around 12:46 p.m. MST, 1:46 p.m. MDT. The crash was located on a two-track ATV trail that runs alongside the interstate from Mesquite, Nevada, to Beaver Dam, Arizona.
The 46-year-old man was riding his bike at high speed ahead of his friends when he crashed, Fire Chief Jeff Hunt said. He landed hard on the trail, initially got up but quickly fell to the ground in severe pain, complaining of back pain leading down from the C-7 vertebra area of his neck.
Mercy Air was called in from Mesquite, Nevada, as a precaution when the man showed classic signs of serious spinal injury, including point tenderness, cold sensation and pain upon palpation.
With the help of Arizona Department of Public Safety and Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, both lanes of southbound traffic on Interstate 15 in the area were temporarily closed to accommodate Mercy Air’s landing for patient transport.
The man was flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George for treatment.
Hunt advised caution to users of the ATV trail and said he sees dirt bikes riding side by side at high speeds too often.
“It’s a really, really rough road,” he said of the trail where the crash occurred.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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I hope he recovers. that is a rough trail I ride it all the time and that trail is not made for high speed even at lower speeds it still has its dangerous spots. he’s in good hands I wish him the best. My prayers are with him,