Airlift rescues cyclist after fall on Bearclaw Poppy Navajo trail near Bloomington

ST. GEORGE — Intermountain Life Flight’s rescue team was called to assist a mountain biker on Friday afternoon after the rider crashed into a ravine near the Bearclaw Poppy Navajo Trailhead south of St. George.

The St. George Fire Department and IHC Life Flight responded to the scene of a rescue on Friday, March 31, 2023 near Bloomington, Utah | Photo by Haven Scott, St. George News

Washington County Search and Rescue responded to a call of an injured female at approximately 1:30 p.m. to the trailhead near Bloomington.

The woman, estimated to be in her early 30s, sustained injuries to her shoulder, arm and ankle and sustained facial lacerations after falling an estimated five feet down a ravine while riding a mountain bike, said Washington County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brandon Lacagnina.

Search and rescue teamed with the St. George Fire Department to locate the woman and provide initial aid.

IHC Life Flight was called to assist the rescue workers after it was decided the patient could not walk to an ambulance waiting in the trailhead parking lot, said Lacagnina.

“Initially we thought she was going to go into an ambulance,” he said. “But then she decided that she just wanted to go with friends and family once we made it to the parking lot.”

The Bearclaw Poppy Navajo trail near Bloomington, Utah, is the scene of a Washington County Search and Rescue mission on Friday, March 31, 2023 | Photo by Haven Scott, St. George News

Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the incident as well as WCSO deputies. The woman self-transported to seek medical attention.

Lacagnina said the assistance of the helicopter was especially helpful for the rescuers due to the location and terrain where the incident occurred.

“Life Flight was nice enough to be able to load the patient and bring them here,” he said. “For the most part,  she’s a little beat up but she’s good.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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