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ATV Rider
November 2006
On November 28, 2006, a 47-year-old missing man who had been riding an ATV was found deceased by a family friend in Pilot Hill. There were many handlers and searchers in this three-day search.
This was a mutual aid search with many CARDA (rescue dog) members from Marin and other counties. The Contra Costa Sheriff's ATV Team also had a large showing and supplied transport to search sites for foot teams and dog handlers.
I was able to respond on Tuesday, November 28, 2006, which was day three of this search. The plan was to put one EDSAR team and two teams from Placer SAR on a grid search of the ground running south of the main house. At approx 10:00 a.m. the subject was located deceased under his ATV in the middle of a large mesquite bush. Once arriving at the scene I was able to see for myself how difficult it was to spot the victim. Even the CHP helicopter was unable to see the victim from above, even when ground personnel pointed to the spot. After waiting for a coroner's report and a CHP accident investigation, members from both teams extricated, packaged, and carried out the victim. Even though the victim was wearing a helmet, the nature of his injuries suggest that he expired at the time of the accident. This is an excellent example of why you should never ride an ATV alone.
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