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A Kaysville man is recovering after spending 12 hours on Antelope Island.
Searchers from the Davis County Search and Rescue team found 48-year-old Kevin Criddle on a trail around 4 a.m. He'd been bucked off his horse and had a severe pelvic injury.
Criddle's wife called the Davis County Sheriff's Office around midnight after he failed to return home from a horse ride Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff's Capt. Kenny Payne says when crews found him, it was 16 degrees and Criddle was turning purple from the cold. Payne says the extreme cold may have both hurt and helped him.
"The hypothermia helped him with some of the bleeding he had from the pelvic injuries. But at the same time he suffered from hypothermia," he explained.
Payne says at one point Criddle tried to get a saddle blanket off his horse to try to stay warm, but he couldn't move.
A helicopter from the Department of Public Safety aided in the search. Criddle told rescuers he heard the chopper some time before he was found and tried to wave his arms for help, but that was about all he could do.
Criddle was flown to the hospital. His brother Steve says Criddle broke his pelvis and is in a lot of pain but is in stable condition. A hospital spokesperson lists his condition as serious.
Steve Criddle says the family is obviously relieved he was found and grateful to those who found him. But he also believes had family been allowed into the search area, they may have found him earlier. Payne says he understands those feelings but says when search plans are initiated, the sheriff's office then assumes the risk for injury or loss, and the environment has to be controlled.
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com
