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Mother very grateful

I am responding to a May 31 article by Richard Rolke titled, Dirt biker injury prompts warning.

I am responding to a May 31 article by Richard Rolke titled, Dirt biker injury prompts warning.

I am the mother of the injured dirt biker, my beloved son Troy. He was riding on very familiar trails with his buddy Josh McColl. He was very seriously injured when he suddenly left the trail and collided with two trees, sustaining fractures of his femur, hip and pelvis.

He left the house with his 16-year-old daughter Kolby insisting he take his cell phone, but as Jason and Troy were only going for one hour, he saw this as unnecessary. But Troy eventually agreed.

Thank goodness she did as a call reached Jason’s house alerting the kids and local retired firefighter Dave Robertson that Troy was “broken.” Dave was able to quad to the scene within minutes of the accident.

Calls were placed to 911 and Troy’s friend Jason rode to intercept North Westside Fire Rescue waiting at the bottom of the mountain with two B.C. Ambulance members.

Jason Satterthwaite and Dalton Charlebois, from North Westside Fire Rescue, and the ambulance paramedics promptly arrived within one hour, taking over the scene from Dave, who had Troy calm and protected in a thermal blanket. As darkness fell, Vernon Search and Rescue was called in as it was too dark to bring in a helicopter.

I need to emphasize again that Troy would have died on that mountain if it were not for the exceptional response by NWFR and those two amazing paramedics. The paramedics were able to administer pain relief, reduce his leg and showed tremendous professionalism on scene until SAR arrived.

Again, the dirt bikers and Dave left the scene to guide SAR up the mountain in pitch black. The crew was able to carry Troy to their ATVs on a stretcher and he was down to the ambulance by midnight.

Troy was taken to Kelowna General Hospital where he received great care.

Once again, my heartfelt thanks to North Westside Fire Rescue, the B.C. Ambulance paramedics, Vernon Search and Rescue and his friends and family for working together to save my son.

Joyce McMillan

North Westside