A solo mountain biker was rescued just south of the Etz Moloy motorway near the Backbone Trail in Malibu on Sunday, July 26, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department (LAFD) Station 72 Captain Rick Mullen.
The biker had fallen and broken his femur on the trail and called 911 from his cell phone for help.
“This gentleman is very lucky that he had cellphone reception in this area,” Mullen said. “If he did not have reception, he might have been on that trail for a long time.”
Three firefighters hiked to the victim and two paramedics from the LAFD’s Helicopter 16 were lowered down to the biker’s location. Once the victim was stabilized, he was hoisted up to the helicopter and transported to UCLA Trauma Center.
“It is probably a good idea to use the buddy system when riding in remote terrain,” Mullen said. “The helicopter paramedics and pilot did a great job in difficult terrain.”