"Nasty Snowmobile Crash" Requires ATV's and Teamwork to Complete a Cotton Brook Rescue
From Stowe Mountain Rescue
Yesterday we were called to the scene of a nasty snowmobile crash on one of the Cottonbrook side trails. This is when our ATVs really earn their keep as they get us in and out quickly, which is critical for traumatic injuries in cold conditions.
Our subject was in a lot of pain and we were grateful to have not one, but two Stowe EMS paramedics with us (one of them a probationary new team member for us). They did their best to mitigate the pain for the unavoidable movement during extraction. That ride in the rescue boggan won’t have been fun, but our subject was successfully delivered to the ambulance.
The teamwork involved at a scene like this is one of the things we love about what we do. When a group of individuals from different organizations are all focused on a common goal with the clock ticking, everything else recedes and we experience a kind of harmony. Everyone singularly focused on doing what’s right for the subject, working together to get the job done.
We wish our subject a thorough recovery and we thank the Town of Stowe for our ATVs.
The interagency coordination under time pressure is where these operations realy shine. Having two paramedics on scene for pain management during extraction shows serious operational planning, especially considering how rough terrain transport amplifies discomfort even with the best technique. Glad the subject made it to the ambulance safely.