CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 2 PETER BIESSENER
11th Theater Aviation Command, USAR
Fort Knox, Kentucky

A few years ago when I was a member of a search-and-rescue team in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, another team asked for our help locating a lost hunter. We responded and I went as part of a three-man all-terrain vehicle team. I recall it was a beautiful, clear, cool, crisp morning as we drove south to the Sangre de Cristo Range.

The search base was busy when we pulled in, as teams from at least four other counties were preparing their gear. Our team lead reported to the command center as we unloaded our ATVs, powered up our global positioning systems and located ourselves, and surveyed the area on a topographical map. As searchers, we wanted to begin with an upbeat, optimistic attitude even though many of us had been involved in searches that didn’t end well.

The subject of this search was an elk hunter from Texas, a male in his late 50s who couldn’t hike long distances or up steep terrain. He was there with eight members of his extended family. He hunted the area the previous year and had set out alone the day before on his ATV. He had warm clothes, some snacks, a rifle and a handgun, but he hadn’t told anyone where he was going. Additionally, we were to use caution if we located him because he suffered from paranoia and didn’t have his medication with him. He was lost, cold, hungry, paranoid and armed — all details that set off alarms for my team. We loaded our gear, made radio checks and headed toward our search area.

Our initial search took us about three hours as we moved fast, covering 40 miles of trails. We returned to base for fuel and to report clearing those trails. We’d spotted a trail heading up a high ridge outside our search location and suggested it to the command center as our next area. The trail headed toward a very remote high-altitude basin and, knowing what we did about our missing hunter, we felt it warranted searching.

Our plan was to work our way up to a meadow at 11,000 feet. After an hour and a half of searching side trails going up the ridge, we found the hunter. He was about 50 feet downhill from the trail with his ATV on top of him. When we got to him, he was dead. The way his hands grasped the ATV, it looked as if he was trying to lift it off himself. He’d kicked vegetation and dirt away as he struggled until he could no longer breathe, crushed by the ATV on his chest.

We wondered what had happened. While we waited for the coroner and a recovery team, we looked for answers. The trail was pretty steep and cut into the side of the ridge with a 2- to 3-foot ledge on the uphill side. We saw where he’d been riding downhill and his right front tire had hit an exposed tree root on the uphill cut of the trail. This caused his ATV to go off the trail. He’d been riding alone without any safety gear.

We also saw other clues of what happened at the crash site. There was a gun scabbard mounted on the ATV’s right side, attached near the footrest and at the rear rack. The scabbard probably hooked him and caused him to roll with the ATV. We also noticed the ATV’s tires were inflated extremely hard — more so than seemed right for the circumstances. We got the ATV back onto the trail and found it was still drivable. However, the person who drove it down the mountain said it was hard to control until we lowered the tire air pressure. Did the overly firm tires cause the victim to go off the trail after hitting the tree root? Was he coming down in the dark and didn’t see the tree root? We concluded that if there’d been another ATV rider with him, he’d probably have survived.

Sadly, instead of his hunting trip ending with game, it ended with grief. That’s not how it should have been. All-terrain vehicles are fun and designed to be useful machines for hunters and others who like going into the wild. But as useful as they are, riding an ATV without identifying the risks and planning to be safe can be a very unforgiving experience.

FYI

ATV Safety Institute's Golden Rules
 

• Always wear a Department of Transportation-compliant helmet, goggles, long sleeves, long pants, over-the-ankle boots and gloves.


• Never ride on paved roads except to cross when done safely and permitted by law; another vehicle could hit you. ATVs are designed to be operated off highway.


• Never ride under the influence of alcohol or drugs.


• Never carry a passenger on a single-rider ATV, and no more than one passenger on an ATV specifically designed for two people.


• Ride an ATV that's right for your age.


• Supervise riders younger than 16; ATVs are not toys.


• Ride only on designated trails and at a safe speed.


• Take a hands-on ATV rider course and the free online e-Course. Visit ATVSafety.org or call 800.887.2887.