Search and Rescue operation aborted after injured person returns

A search and rescue operation near Devil’s Canyon was called off after a small group brought an injured member of their work party to safety on their own. The group of contract workers was interrupted from their work when a boulder came loose on a hillside, hitting one of its members on his knee and then landing on his foot. The boulder’s fall was disrupted by a side-by-side parked between the victim and the falling rock, reducing the impact.

According to Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn, the group had paused their work momentarily near a hillside. As they were standing near the side-by-side, a rock the size of a semi-tire fell, at first hitting the side-by-side, then hitting and injuring one of the workers, Seth Mayes. 

“The rock hit the side-by-side hard enough to move it, and that absorbed most of the force of the rock; and then the rock fell on the subject’s foot,” explained Blackburn. “People on the scene did a great job of performing first aid, and the subject, who was also a firefighter, was also trained in first aid, which helped. They were able to help the subject into the vehicle, and they brought him out on their own.”

Blackburn noted that because the group had already sent an emergency message that was received by the dispatch center, the North Big Horn Search and Rescue team was already on their way to the scene of the accident. They met the group part way as they were already taking the injured party to safety. After a brief encounter with a North Big Horn Hospital Ambulance crew that was waiting in a parking area near where the incident occurred, the subject declined medical transport and was taken to the hospital by his coworkers.

“The message that came into dispatch read something like ‘injured foot need help,’” said Blackburn. “Due to the remote location, deputies started sending the cavalry out to the location. 

“Search and rescue did a great job. It was one of the fastest responses we’ve had in a while. They just were in the right place at the right time. The subjects actually self-rescued themselves, calling law enforcement once they got to a place where they had a cell phone signal. Since they made it all the way back to the parking lot on their own, we called off the search team.”

Blackburn cautioned that it is not uncommon for rocks to break loose and fall, like what happened in this particular instance.

“They just happened to be standing there when it fell, that’s all,” he said. “We’ve noticed that around John Blue there are a lot of similar rocks coming loose and all the way up through Arm Pit. Sometimes, a lot of rain coming at one time, like we’ve had recently causes this to happen. So, people need to be cautious when traveling in these areas.”