Man rescued after logging accident

An injured logger was rescued in the Swan Valley on Monday afternoon.

The man was down a 400-foot embankment off the road, according to Bigfork Interim Fire Chief Mick Borges.

“There was snow and mud and conditions were not perfect, but they got the job done,” Borges said of the rescue effort that involved the Swan Valley Fire Department, Bigfork Fire Department, Swan Mission Search and Rescue and the ALERT helicopter.

The accident was in the Soup Creek area off Montana 83.

Swan Mission Search and Rescue President Carol Field that the initial call about the man came in around 5 p.m.

“It was all the way up on the Cilly Creek Ridge,” Field said. “That is a long long ways back up in there. It was really slow going getting in.”

The team discovered that the man had essentially fallen off the edge of a mountain, Field said. Rescuers used ropes to get down to him and used a litter to get him back to the road. He was taken to a nearby clearing where ALERT helicopter had landed.

He was flown by ALERT to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Field said it is the first time she can remember the rescue team having to use its rope training in that kind of situation. She was glad the team had the proper equipment and training to get the man to safety. She was also thankful for the help of Swan Valley and Bigfork Fire departments.

“It was truly a group effort,” Field said. “We just really work well together.”