Hikers, bikers, swimmers keep SAR team busy
By Kathryn Reed
One fatality and multiple rescues have kept El Dorado County’s search and rescue team out in the field much of the last week.
As the search team was getting one victim onto a helicopter Aug. 12, they got a call of a person having drowned at Eagle Lake. Because they were in the vicinity it did not take them long to locate the man.
“He was swimming out to the island and got into some trouble,” Deputy Greg Almos, who is in charge of the department’s SAR team, told Lake Tahoe News.
Michael Christensen, 27, of Elk Grove was later pronounced dead at Barton Memorial Hospital.
The earlier incident involved another male tourist. The SAR team got the call at 11:15am Tuesday saying an unresponsive male was by Eagle Lake and not moving.
Almos said a trauma nurse at Renown Medical Center in Reno said when the victim regained consciousness he told the medical staff he had been caught in a flashflood on Monday that swept him down a drainage.
He had been lying there unresponsive for nearly 24 hours before someone found him. Almos said despite suffering traumatic injuries, the man – whose name has not been released – is expected to live.
El Dorado County search and rescue, CalFire and Lake Valley firefighters carry a cyclist off Corral Trail on Aug. 11. Photo/Provided
Afternoon thunderstorms contributed to a rescue on Aug. 11, too. A man not from Tahoe – whose name was not released – went down while cycling on Corral Loop in South Lake Tahoe.
The team had to carry him out on a litter in a downpour. He reportedly injured his pelvis.
The team almost was deployed to Pyramid Peak on Aug. 13 to search for a missing hiker when a follow up call came in saying the person had walked out safely.
A multiday rescue in Alpine County last weekend resulted in finding a West Sacramento man who had been lost in the wilderness for five days without food.
Mike Vilhauer, 58, went fishing by himself Aug. 8 at Lower Sunset Lake. He got disoriented when he left his campsite.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter spotted his vehicle last Friday, which gave rescue teams a good idea where to start searching. El Dorado’s search teams from Tahoe and Placerville were called Saturday to assist.
Scott Gabler, a veteran and decorated member of EDSO’s SAR team, located footprints mid-afternoon Aug. 10. Tracking began and then Washoe County’s Raven helicopter eventually found Vilhauer.
“He had spent two days where he we found him. He had written poems to his wife,” Almos said, adding, that Vilhauer’s condition had deteriorated. Vilhauer has recovered from his ordeal.
Almos said it’s been a busy summer for search and rescue, though the year started off slow. From Jan. 1-April 20 the team responded to 16 calls. Normal is closer to 25. As of Aug. 15, there have been 61 calls for all of 2014.
SAR – just a bunch of overpaid public employees feeding at the government trough.
Needless to say, I’m totally supportive of our public safety folks, but I thought I should set the tone and post something ahead of the usual knuckleheads. Now it’s their turn.
By posting “just a bunch of overpaid public employees feeding at the government trough,” Cooper, you are leading people to believe that maybe it has some validity. Even though this is in jest, at least I hope it is, you may be giving someone fodder to criticise SAR. We are a very hard working group that has to raise our own funds even for equipment.
Bob, most, if not all, of my close friends are or have been employed in public safety, including Search and Rescue. As was I for over 30 years. My purpose was to anticipate and mock the folks on this forum who are protected and served by dedicated public employees, hiding behind the protection we’ve all provided them, and sniping at their protectors. I doubt if they need fodder from me to fire up their pea shooters.
Maybe one of us was just feeling a little grumpy. Perhaps both.
Thanks for your service Cooper.
The CalFire response to the first and second emergency was incredible. I was the one who found the unresponsive hiker at Eagle Lake. He was in a very critical condition and would not have made it if SAR hadn’t shown up so quickly after I called. Just before they started carrying him out we noticed the swimmers on the lake. About 20 minutes later the call for the drowning came in, and even though the 2 that ran back must have been back to the lake within 10 minutes, I guess it was too late. Two helicopters and dozens of SAR personnell were mobilized, and while it may have been costly, at least one man got to live. Thanks to the SAR heroes. Bart
I totally agree with BW. I was one of the first to the drowned swimmer and was helping with CPR when the Captain reached there. A few minutes later the test of his crew joined. They were awesome. I was with the swimmers friend when the captain have him the news; they handled it so well. Hats off to those paramedics and fire dept guys; they are amazing for what they do!
Bob, and for yours as well, sir.