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ST. GEORGE — A 60-year man is in critical condition following a mountain bike accident Monday at 10:50 a.m. when he went off the side of the JEM trail, east of Hurricane and LaVerkin, according to the Washington County Sheriff's office. His name and hometown have not been released.
The man was airlifted by Intermountain Life Flight to St. George Regional Hospital after a two-hour rescue operation, Sgt. Darrell Cashin said. The area the man was in is past Hurricane on state Route 59, going toward Apple Valley, off of Sheep Bridge Road, Cashin said. The JEM trail is 6.7 miles in length and is primarily a single track known for its fast downhill, according to the Bureau of Land Management website.
"It looked like he missed the first or second switchback and went from there straight down to the bottom and landed on his head. So that's why even with a helmet on, he never regained consciousness the whole time search and rescue were there," Cashin said.
Another biker found the man and called for help. It took a while to get the injured man stabilized and find a place for Life Flight to land. Cashin said that the incident was about 100 feet from the top of the switchbacks to the bottom of the ravine.
