Injured snowmobile rider rescued west of Bend

Dec 10,2007 00:00 by Cheryl McDermott

A Clackamas man who lost control of his snowmobile and crashed into several small trees west of Bend was rescued Saturday in a joint effort by deputies, search and rescue team members, state troopers, fire department paramedics, and U.S. Forest Service personnel.

About 3:50 p.m., Deschutes County 911 dispatch received a report of a snowmobile accident with injuries in an area about ½ mile west of FS Road 45 on snowmobile trail 40, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Cpl. Wayne A. Morgan reported.

Search and rescue (SAR) medical team members found Rod Konkin, 20, suffering from non-life threatening injuries from the crash sustained after he lost control of his 2004 Skidoo 800 snowmobile on the Swampy-Dutchman Trail 40 and hit several trees. Konkin was wearing a safety helmet at the time, Morgan said.

SAR transported the injured man to Road 45 by AMBU-sled, a medical transport on skis pulled behind a snowmobile, and he was turned over to the care of Bend Fire emergency medical personnel. Konkin was taken by ground ambulance to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend where he was in reportedly fair condition Saturday night.