Mountain Biker Rescued By Helicopter After Hitting Rock, Crashing: MD State Police

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Over the weekend, an injured mountain biker was rescued by Maryland State Police Aviation Command crews using a hoist from a helicopter due to the rough terrain.

A 44-year-old Ellicott City man was rescued Saturday afternoon. He fell and became incapacitated after his bike hit a rock on a trail near the Valley Overlook in Patapsco Valley State Park Daniels area. His riding partner called 9-1-1. Maryland Natural Resources Police Helicopter Natural 1 conducted an initial search but could not locate the victim, according to Maryland State Police.

Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services personnel then hiked to the man and began administering care. They called for a Maryland State Police helicopter and pilots on Trooper 3, Frederick Section, hovered the Leonardo AW-139 helicopter nearly 180 feet above the dense tree covers while a trooper/paramedic was lowered down to the scene.

The trooper/paramedic, with assistance from Howard County rescuers, hiked the injured man approximately a quarter of a mile to the nearest clearing and secured him in a patient extrication platform. He was hoisted into the helicopter and flown to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore City for treatment of his injuries.

The Maryland State Police also had to rescue a 41-year-old man after he crashed his mountain bike in Davis, West Virginia. He had been lying in a field for nearly two hours before rescuers found him. Pilots hovered the Leonardo AW-139 helicopter approximately 60 feet above the marshy terrain while a trooper/paramedic was lowered down to him. The trooper/paramedic, with assistance from Tucker County rescuers, secured the injured man in a patient extraction platform. He was hoisted into the aircraft and flown to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, for treatment of his injuries.