OFF-ROADERS CRASH INTO STEER, RESCUED BY ARMY HELICOPTER

Some off-road riders exploring Dixie Mine Road in Landers Sunday had an extra reason to be grateful to the military this Memorial Day weekend. Three men believed to be from the Los Angeles area were riding off-road motorcycles on Dixie Mine Road about 5:30 or 6 Sunday afternoon when one of the riders hit a yearling steer in the road. The crash killed the steer and the 45-year-old rider was thrown from his motorcycle, suffering a minor head injury. One of the man’s friends stayed with him while the other walked down the road until he had cell phone coverage and called for help shortly before 8 p.m. The Yucca Mesa fire department had to use a personal, 4-wheel-drive pick up truck to reach the victim. Due to the man’s injuries and the location, paramedics determined he had to be flown out via a helicopter. The Sheriff’s department sent a helicopter, but didn’t have the staff to take the man to the hospital, and so the Army at Fort Irwin sent in an EC-135 helicopter. The victim was flown by the Army helicopter to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs.