Smoke Signals 7
MARCH 15, 2011
Sheridan man injured while logging on Reservation
Tribal employees assist
in quickly getting man
to Salem hospital
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
A Sheridan-area man broke both
bones in his lower right leg while
logging on the Tribal Reservation
and, with the assistance of numer
ous Tribal employees, was flown to
a Salem hospital for treatment on
Thursday, March 3.
Contract timber faller Mike
Dearth, who was working for Grand
Ronde-based Hofenbredl Logging,
was bucking cutting into mar
ketable lengths a log at ap
proximately 9 a.m. when it rolled
against his legs and pinned him
against a large standing tree in the
Eastside Thin Logging Unit, which
is approximately 500 feet south of
the end of the 756C road on the
Reservation.
Dearth's cutting partners Cabe
Lincoln, Shane Williams and Brad
Clemmons responded quickly
and helped Dearth by cutting the
log that had pinned him against the
tree and administering first aid.
Lincoln then called Hofenbredl
Timber Side Rod Darryl Coblentz,
who was in Willamina, and 911.
Coblentz met two West Valley
ambulances in Willamina and led
the ambulances to the end of the
696 road at the trailhead for Coast
Creek Trail, which is where Lincoln
and Coblentz had agreed to take
Dearth because of the steep slopes,
felled and bucked timber and deep
3 o
wife
Photo courtesy of Natural Resources Department
Sheridan-area resident Mike Dearth is carried down the Coast Creek Trail on
the Tribal Reservation on Thursday, March 3, after a logging accident broke
his right leg. Quick responses by his co-workers, Tribal employees and the West
Valley Fire District helped in getting Dearth flown to a Salem Hospital for care.
snow that was between Dearth and
the 756C road above them.
Coblentz contacted Tribal mem
ber and Hofenbredl Logging owner
Larry Hofenbredl, who was on
another logging job 45 minutes
away. Hofenbredl headed toward
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the Coast Creek Trailhead and
also called Tribal Forester Jason
Bernards.
Bernards, along with Tribal
Silvicultural Technician Chuck
Chapin, who is a certified emer
gency medical technician, left the
Natural Resources office on Hebo
Road and headed for the Coast
Creek Trail. They notified Tribal
member and Tribal Forest Protec
tion Officer Jake McKnight, who
was only a short distance away
from the accident scene on the
690E road.
McKnight met the ambluance
crew of five medics and Coblentz
near the trailhead and they pro
ceeded down the trail to the ac
cident. Dearth's partners had cut
a rough trail through the brush
from where Dearth was down to the
Coast Creek Trail, which made it
easier for Dearth to be carried out
by emergency responders.
Dearth's cutting partners led the
medics, Coblentz and McKnight to
Dearth, who was about 500 yards up
the slope. The medics administered
an IV and called LifeFlight, believ
ing Dearth had broken both legs.
In the meantime, Hoftenbredl
and his wife, Barbara, as well as
Bernards and Chapin arrived at
the accident scene.
Bernards headed up the "rough
cut" trail and found the medical
crew about 200 yards from the
Coast Creek Trail. He assisted
Larry Hofenbredl with improving
the trail in front of those who were
carrying Dearth out by removing
tripping hazards.
Once on the Coast Creek Trail,
the three medics, Lincoln, Wil
liams, Clemmons, the Hofenbredls,
McKnight, Chapin and Bernards
took turns carrying Dearth down
the Coast Creek Trail to the await
ing ambulance, where they arrived
at about 12:30 p.m.
Bernards and Chapin led the two
ambulances out the Coast Creek
Road, followed by McKnight.
Dearth was taken to the Wil
lamina school campus, where an
awaiting LifeFlight helicopter flew
him to Salem Hospital. He had bro
ken both bones in his lower right leg
about three inches above the ankle,
and his left leg was badly bruised.
Dearth had surgery that night
on his right leg and was released
from the hospital on Tuesday,
March 8. B
tiarctt SO
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503-879-5211
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