CHINO VALLEY, Ariz. — A man is in the hospital after a harrowing experience near an Arizona forest this month.
On Dec. 21, a Yavapai County Sheriff's Office deputy was sent to a medical call near Perkinsville Road and mile marker 11 near Chino Valley. According to officials, two hunters alerted 911 to a man lying next to his quad vehicle in the area.
As the responding deputy arrived on scene, a 45-year-old Chino man was found conscious, alert and verbal, but he had a fractured leg. While an ambulance arrived on the scene, the man started convulsing and bleeding from the mouth, YCSO officials said. The man then required life-saving measures after his heart reportedly stopped.
The situation quickly became more urgent, so the deputy called for a medical helicopter and established a landing zone using LED road markers issued by YCSO. He was then able to guide the helicopter to the location using a state-wide mutual aid radio channel that connects public safety personnel.
Once the helicopter landed, the man was taken to the Flagstaff Medical Center. The cause of the man's severe medical decline wasn't immediately known, but medics said they believed he may have suffered a stroke.
The man's condition is unknown, but the helicopter pilot involved in the rescue commended the YCSO deputy for the radio support and creation of the landing zone with the LED markers.
“I too commend the quick action and forethought by the deputy to get medical help and to assist the medivac in landing”, said Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes. “The teamwork between deputies and medical personnel certainly saved this man’s life.”
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