Location: The Clearwater River drainage, Idaho
Date: 2002 or 2003
Let me once again, take you back to my days with Lifeflight, based at St. Patrick's Hospital, in Missoula Montana. On this sunny spring day we were paged out to a vehicle rollover a few miles past the Idaho-Montana border. Crossing Lolo Pass we descended along US hwy 12 and the Clearwater River searching for our scene. The water was high and the trout were rising on the deeper, still pools of water along the banks.
Law enforcement reported they were on scene and we caught our first site of the incident about a mile out. A semi hauling a flatbed trailer was laying on its side, against the uphill side of the road. Had it rolled downhill, it would have plunged into the frigid river below. Looking back on it, that may have been a better outcome, had the driver not been trapped under the steering wheel. About 1/2 mile out from the scene I am alternating my attention from the scene to looking for a suitable landing zone. I see hundreds of boxy-looking containers spilled off the semi trailer. Something is wrong with this picture. It looks like there is some kind of shimmering cloud above the semi. In the few seconds it took to cover the remaining distance to the accident, my shimmering cloud resolved itself into a massive tornado of angry honey bees. I then realize those hundreds of containers are beehives. Oh shit.
I am not interested in hundreds of bee stings while trying to fly a helicopter. I watched, in super slo-mo, as the cops ran full speed for their cars, swatting at bees on their neck and faces. At this point there is no way I am landing anywhere near that truck. I have a quick consultation with my flight nurse and paramedic. We tossed around a couple ideas like using the helicopter to blow away the bees...dumb idea. We agreed making the bees angrier would only harm our trapped patient. We decided we'd land a safe distance away (not safe enough in hindsight) and the nurse would suit up in our survival rain gear, and approach the scene on foot.
I landed about 1/4 mile away. I no sooner than shut down the aircraft and the first bee landed on my windscreen. Oh hell no. Within minutes hundreds of bees were trying get inside the aircraft. "We're outta here," I tell the crew. I cranked and relocated the bird about a mile away, just off the road next to the river. We shutdown and pull out the gear. We were able to tape the hood of the gortex jacket to his flight helmet, creating a decent seal for his face. We taped his flight gloves to the jacket and sealed the rest of the seams with the duct tape. The cops arrived, all stung up, loaded Phil in the cruiser and briefed him on the patient.
According to the cops, the man was mostly ok, but with a broken arm, possibly ribs, and the steering wheel had pinned him to the vehicle. They decided to give Phil a bottle jack to lift the steering wheel off the man and some garbage bags, sheets and blankets to protect the patient from the bees. Phil brought a trauma bag and expected to treat the man for excessive bee stings. The cops let Phil out a safe distance away; not safe enough, they got stung again, and he proceeded to the vehicle. Phil walked through the cloud of bees and entered the truck through a door. The man inside had covered himself in his laundry and plugged a hole in his window with garbage. Phil extricated the man from the steering wheel and wrapped him up in the sheets and blankets. He was able to walk and the two of them made their way back to the police car.
Incredibly, both men only received a few bee stings.
Date: 2002 or 2003
Let me once again, take you back to my days with Lifeflight, based at St. Patrick's Hospital, in Missoula Montana. On this sunny spring day we were paged out to a vehicle rollover a few miles past the Idaho-Montana border. Crossing Lolo Pass we descended along US hwy 12 and the Clearwater River searching for our scene. The water was high and the trout were rising on the deeper, still pools of water along the banks.
Law enforcement reported they were on scene and we caught our first site of the incident about a mile out. A semi hauling a flatbed trailer was laying on its side, against the uphill side of the road. Had it rolled downhill, it would have plunged into the frigid river below. Looking back on it, that may have been a better outcome, had the driver not been trapped under the steering wheel. About 1/2 mile out from the scene I am alternating my attention from the scene to looking for a suitable landing zone. I see hundreds of boxy-looking containers spilled off the semi trailer. Something is wrong with this picture. It looks like there is some kind of shimmering cloud above the semi. In the few seconds it took to cover the remaining distance to the accident, my shimmering cloud resolved itself into a massive tornado of angry honey bees. I then realize those hundreds of containers are beehives. Oh shit.
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| spilled hives on a Canadian hwy (onlinetrucker.org) |
I am not interested in hundreds of bee stings while trying to fly a helicopter. I watched, in super slo-mo, as the cops ran full speed for their cars, swatting at bees on their neck and faces. At this point there is no way I am landing anywhere near that truck. I have a quick consultation with my flight nurse and paramedic. We tossed around a couple ideas like using the helicopter to blow away the bees...dumb idea. We agreed making the bees angrier would only harm our trapped patient. We decided we'd land a safe distance away (not safe enough in hindsight) and the nurse would suit up in our survival rain gear, and approach the scene on foot.
I landed about 1/4 mile away. I no sooner than shut down the aircraft and the first bee landed on my windscreen. Oh hell no. Within minutes hundreds of bees were trying get inside the aircraft. "We're outta here," I tell the crew. I cranked and relocated the bird about a mile away, just off the road next to the river. We shutdown and pull out the gear. We were able to tape the hood of the gortex jacket to his flight helmet, creating a decent seal for his face. We taped his flight gloves to the jacket and sealed the rest of the seams with the duct tape. The cops arrived, all stung up, loaded Phil in the cruiser and briefed him on the patient.
According to the cops, the man was mostly ok, but with a broken arm, possibly ribs, and the steering wheel had pinned him to the vehicle. They decided to give Phil a bottle jack to lift the steering wheel off the man and some garbage bags, sheets and blankets to protect the patient from the bees. Phil brought a trauma bag and expected to treat the man for excessive bee stings. The cops let Phil out a safe distance away; not safe enough, they got stung again, and he proceeded to the vehicle. Phil walked through the cloud of bees and entered the truck through a door. The man inside had covered himself in his laundry and plugged a hole in his window with garbage. Phil extricated the man from the steering wheel and wrapped him up in the sheets and blankets. He was able to walk and the two of them made their way back to the police car.
Incredibly, both men only received a few bee stings.
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