Daring rescue of injured teen who drove off Pikes Peak
By Carlyn Ray Mitchell, The Gazette
Published June 25, 2008 at 6:57 p.m.
Updated June 26, 2008 at 11:12 a.m.
Photo by Jerilee Bennett © The Gazette
Members of El Paso County Search and Rescue bring an injured person up the steep slopes at the top of Pikes Peak near the Summit House on Wednesday.
Photo by Kevin Kreck © The Gazette
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter lands in Memorial Park Wednesday evening, with the driver of the vehicle that crashed on Pikes Peak.
COLORADO SPRINGS — A 17-year-old Colorado driver whose girlfriend had reportedly just broken up with him drove his car off of the Pikes Peak summit Wednesday afternoon in front of a crowd of tourists, witnesses and police said.
It took rescuers more than eight hours and one failed helicopter rescue attempt to pull the teen 900 feet back to the top, where he was transported via Chinook helicopter to Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs.
Sometime between 1 p.m. and 1:15 p.m., the teen, who has not been identified, drove his car off the northwest edge of the summit, said spokesman Steve Sperry of the El Paso County Search and Rescue.
The teen was ejected from the car, which landed nearly 1,000 feet below the summit in an area known as the “Bottomless Pit.”
Dozens of hikers, tourists on the Cog Railway and those who had also driven to the summit witnessed the incident and scrambled across the parking lot to see what became of the driver, said Lt. Rick Johnson of the Pikes Peak Rangers.
“That’s how we knew it,” said Johnson. “We didn’t see it.”
Johnson said the teen had lacerations and pain throughout his body. “I’m sure he got knocked around a bit,” Johnson said.
For more coverage from The Gazette, click here.
9News contributed to this report.
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June 25, 2008
9:26 p.m.
Suggest removal
commoncents writes:
Get cable, they have lights on those things these days.
June 25, 2008
9:44 p.m.
Suggest removal
HollyGoLightly writes:
That had to be a nasty ride! Hopefully the kid will be ok and they can get out of there safely. Wonder what happened? Gear slip, inexperience, heartbreak over the break-up?
June 25, 2008
11:40 p.m.
Suggest removal
GWBushwacked writes:
Hmmmm....He needs to have a psychiatric evaluation. Hope he is okay
June 25, 2008
11:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
CyberHostage writes:
Legend has it that Zebulon Pike might have been driven to scale the very peak that bears his name, were he not so even-keeled in dealing his own angst. Perhaps we'll never know.
June 26, 2008
4:20 a.m.
Suggest removal
Brian1973 writes:
Gene - the air force doesn't fly helicopters, the army does
June 26, 2008
5:24 a.m.
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kdrotar writes:
Brian1973--both the Army and Air Force fly helicopters.
kd
June 26, 2008
6:03 a.m.
Suggest removal
LOUIE writes:
It's the classic,"Leader of the Pack" syndrome.
June 26, 2008
7:44 a.m.
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peter303 writes:
Suicides are the main cause of death in national parks. People prefer to end it in a "nice place" and not leave a mess at home.
June 26, 2008
7:54 a.m.
Suggest removal
medina88 writes:
I hope it was all an accident and he didn't do it on purpose. No girlfriend or break up is worth your life. There are plenty of fish in the sea and life does go on.
June 26, 2008
8:11 a.m.
Suggest removal
HolierThanThou writes:
Write him a citation for driving off the designated trail and littering. He needs to learn not trash our public lands and that women are fickle.
June 26, 2008
8:48 a.m.
Suggest removal
SLAP writes:
I hope the teen recovers and learns that no "break-up" is worth dying over. Unless the break-up is from Jessica Beil.
June 26, 2008
10:02 a.m.
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CalebTGL writes:
That picture of El Paso County Search and Rescue on the cliff face is awesome. I would be interested to hear more about them. Are they volunteer?
June 26, 2008
10:06 a.m.
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Monica030 writes:
Will they be billing him for the rescue?
June 26, 2008
11:07 a.m.
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CaptainObvious writes:
"Get cable..."
Too funny! Good one commoncents!!
June 26, 2008
11:40 a.m.
Suggest removal
jeremy211 writes:
The helicopters were Army National guard. First attempt was a UH-60 failed because of power management (not enough lift) the CH-47 got there too late to pull him off the mountain but took him to the hospital. Hope the guy is ok.
June 26, 2008
11:56 a.m.
Suggest removal
bruizer writes:
I wonder if they'll get the car out, being a national park and all. I spose they'll drag it back up the hill.
June 26, 2008
12:02 p.m.
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hillbillygoth writes:
heartbroken teens behind the wheel..gotta love 'em.
he should be prosecuted to the fullest.
June 26, 2008
12:20 p.m.
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Escape writes:
Prosecuted to the fullest???? Give me a break.
June 26, 2008
12:24 p.m.
Suggest removal
AC writes:
bruizer, peter303:
Pikes Peak is not a national park. It is in the Pike National Forest.
June 26, 2008
4:14 p.m.
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HolierThanThou writes:
I reckon if he'd tried that stunt in Moab, nobody would've noticed. He'd blend right in with all the other idiots.
June 26, 2008
6:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
analytixman writes:
Hope the kid is ok but also hope he gets stuck with the bill for the man hours, fuel and resources involved in this tragic event. If he is paying off this bill for a decade, maybe he will think twice before he does something like this. I would like to suggest the media do follow up stories on paying the debt of the rescue for people who do these stupid human tricks .
June 26, 2008
6:32 p.m.
Suggest removal
ColoNative writes:
What? Military in our streets? Is this a declaration of martial law? Where is is the outcry now from the Boulder paranoids?
Good Job National Guard.
AF Helos are primarily in Florida and Alaska.
CO National Guard will more than likely foot most of the bill.
June 28, 2008
4:34 p.m.
Suggest removal
lcole writes:
This boy was stupid, and I was there the day after he drove off. It was said that he said to his ex-girlfriend "I'll show you" [upon the breakup] and what do you know, she for sure made the right decision. He deserves to die, why does he live and other people die??
Also it was said that if he had been wearing a seatbelt [reportedly he had not had one on] he would have died.
He deserves to pay for all of the rescue efforts and medical bills.
August 8, 2008
8:24 p.m.
Suggest removal
bryna51 writes:
Cudos to Brian Pippin for an outstanding rescue job! Nancyb, Cookeville