Teton Search and Rescue saves snowmobiler after injury crash
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MORAN, Wyoming — Teton County Search and Rescue saved a snowmobiler Friday morning after his Garmin device alerted dispatch with an SOS notification that he had crashed.
According to a Facebook post by the Teton County, Wyoming Search and Rescue, Teton County Dispatch received a Garmin SOS activation from the Togwotee Pass area at 11:40 a.m. on Friday.
A 42-year-old snowmobiler had sustained a significant leg injury after crashing on his machine.
Teton County Search and Rescue mobilized helicopter and snowmobile teams to rescue the man. The helicopter team, comprising the pilot and four SAR volunteers, successfully located the man and landed near him.
Volunteers assessed his condition and packaged him for internal transport. Three volunteers remained in the field while the pilot and one SAR member flew the patient to a waiting ambulance from Jackson Hole Fire/EMS, located near Togwotee Mountain Lodge.
Due to the weather, the helicopter was unable to return to the field to pick up the members. Instead, TCSAR’s snowmobile team motored out to their teammates and brought them out of the backcountry, a 22-mile round trip. Then, they all drove back to SAR HQ in Jackson, Wyoming.
All teams were out of the field by 6 p.m., completing the mission in 6 hours and 20 minutes.