UPDATE @ 8:19 p.m.: A mountain bike rider, injured on the MoMBA trail at Huffman MetroPark, walked out under his own steam after a medic unit had been called for him.
“It was just one of those things,” said Laura Kerr, a Fairborn Fire Department paramedic. “Accidents happen. And this was an accident.”
Kerr said medics were called to the MetroParks Mountain Biking Area, across from the Huffman Dam. The first issue, she said, was locating the patient.
Riders were able to pass along information about the man’s location through a series of “wait points,” areas along the trail that helped medics navigate their way to the victim.
“We had a lot of experienced riders, so they were able to stay with the patient,” Kerr said. Fortunately, he was able to walk and he wanted to walk out to the medic unit, so rescuers allowed him to do that.
The man, whose name and age were not released, was taken to a hospital for trauma care.
“He’s doing fine,” Kerr said. She declined to discuss details about the rider’s injuries because of HIPPA regulations.
“The riders are very good about taking care of themselves, not putting themselves in difficulty,” Kerr said. “If it happens, it’s kind of like this, a freak thing.”
She said medics are infrequently called to the bike trails, which has been open for years. Tonight’s run is maybe the fourth of fifth time in several years that medics have been called to the bike trail.
“This gentleman was smart: He had his safety gear. He was wearing his helmet, was wearing the gloves and the gear that they do wear when they’re riding the trails, so that prevents injuries also,” Kerr said.
FIRST REPORT
A person was injured this evening at Huffman MetroPark.
An all-terrain vehicle was called to help reach the person at the end of a bike path.
The incident was reported around 7:45 p.m.
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