The New Era
Two loggers were injured earlier this week in separate incidents, Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District reported.
On Wednesday, Dec. 7, fire district personnel responded at 10:14 a.m. to a logging accident that occurred on the Ames Creek mainline. The patient was a 31-year-old male who had been struck in the head with a log during their operations.
“The logging crew did an excellent job packaging the patient and getting him to the road where EMS could access him,” according to a SHFAD statement. The patient was flown to Riverbend Hospital by REACH helicopter.
On Monday, Dec. 5, a yarder operator was struck in the legs when a log came through the cab of his machine at 3:56 p.m.
That patient was also transported to Riverbend Hospital by ground ambulance.
Sweet Home Fire was able to make access to both these loggers because of its new four-wheel-drive medic unit, which was made possible by a anonymous donation that allowed Sweet Home Fire to purchase the four- wheel -drive medic unit. ‘
EMS crews were able to safely navigate snow-covered roads to reach the patient. The donor’s intent for the four-wheel-drive medic unit was for medics to have the ability to access injured loggers where a two-wheel-drive medic unit could not, according to the statement.