Hunter rescued from Flat Tops Wilderness Area after being trampled by a horse

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — A 55-year-old Arkansas hunter was rescued from the Flat Tops Wilderness Area near Meeker after being trampled by a horse he was leading.

Routt County Search and Rescue assisted the Rio Blanco Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Meeker Fire Department in rescuing the man, said Search and Rescue volunteer Delbert Bostock.

“It’s uncertain whether he slipped or the horse slipped, but the horse trampled him,” Bostock said. “Some other hunters were literally 50 yards behind him. They were prepared and had a space blanket and a little bit of first aid stuff, so they stayed with him and helped him until we could get there.”

The man had a leg injury as well as internal injuries in his torso, including probable broken ribs and a probable punctured lung. According to police scanner traffic, the man was having trouble breathing and complained of chest pain.

First responders used an all-terrain vehicle to get to the man, who was about 2 miles in on Transfer Trail No. 1172 east of Vaughn Lake, Bostock said. The man was stabilized and taken to the trailhead, where a Classic Air Medical helicopter was waiting to airlift the man to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction, a Level II trauma center.