Custer County Search and Rescue was activated by the Custer County Sheriff’s Office at 15:01 on Friday, June 24th for a 64 old male party from Colorado Springs who had fallen, hit a rock and had severe head injuries. Teams were deployed to the Peerless Mine area near the Duckett Creek trail head, to access the patient who had reportedly fallen above the Lower Brush Creek Lake.
The fall had reportedly occurred at approximately 13:30 hours, while the man and his climbing partner were descending on snow. The two were camped in the area and had climbed Lakes Peak and Thirsty Peak, (both 13-ers). Around 11,800 feet, the party slipped and fell 25-30 feet head first, hitting a rock, then falling an estimated 100 additional feet, on snow. The climbing partner reported that he had assisted the patient for more than an hour, prior to hiking out enough, to obtain cell service to active SAR. Two individuals in an unrelated party also gave assistance, with the subject walking out under his own power for some time.
SAR Teams were able to reach the patient at 17:30 hours and continued to slowly make their way out with the ambulatory patient, for a time. Just outside the wilderness boundary, the patient suffered complications and an urgenct extraction was requested. That extraction involved additional ground team members, two ATV teams and the ATV litter trailer. EMS was inserted by ATV Team 1, where a Custer County EMS EMT joined another EMT already on scene at 19:00 hours. The patient was evacuated via a stokes litter and the ATV trailer to Med 4, awaiting at the Duckett Creek Trailhead, where he was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Fifteen CCSAR personnel responded, staffing Search Base, Hasty, Ground, Horse and ATV teams. One member of the Custer County Sheriff’s department also dispatched to the scene, as well as two EMS personnel. The mission was completed and all SAR members were released at 22:10.