County Chopper Rescues Calif. Cyclist

Dec. 11--A Sonoma County sheriff's helicopter and San Rafael emergency services personnel rescued a Novato teen who apparently crashed Saturday while mountain biking in China Camp State Park.

San Rafael fire officials contacted the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department at about 11:50 a.m. Saturday after they were unable to locate the missing cyclist within the 1,514-acre state park along the shores of San Pablo Bay.

The crew of the Sonoma County 'copter, nicknamed "Henry 1," found the downed teen on the section of the Bay View Trail that runs through China Camp. The "Henry 1" crew then lowered Deputy Debbie Little, the helicopter's tactical flight officer, to the trail at the end of a 100-foot rope.

Little found the 14-year-old victim conscious, though suffering from injuries to his back and legs, apparently sustained when he had struck a tree along the trail while mountain biking. She and the other members of the "Henry 1" crew lifted the victim up to the helicopter, where pilot Paul Bradley flew him to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.

Paramedic Justin Barrow of the San Rafael Fire Department, which reached the scene during the rescue, remained with the victim and provided advanced life support during the flight.

The victim was last reported in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries at John Muir Medical Center, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department, which declined to release his name because he is a juvenile.

Contact Rob Rogers via e-mail at rrogers@marinij.com

Copyright 2011 - The Marin Independent Journal, Novato, Calif.