Deseret Morning News

DAVIS COUNTY, Utah — Police rescued a wounded all-terrain vehicle rider via helicopter Saturday night after he crashed into a guardrail on Skyline Drive in Davis County.

The 51-year-old man was riding with a friend and was about three miles up the road and a mile from Buckland Flats when he lost control of his recreational vehicle, said South Davis Metro Fire Battalion Chief Steve Moss.

The ATV ran into the guardrail and flipped, Moss said. The crash caused a deep laceration to the man's abdomen.

Officers and an ambulance began the ascent up the mountain just after 8 p.m. but soon realized it would be easier and safer to get the man off the mountain by medical helicopter, Moss said.

Moss said he didn't think any of the man's internal organs were damaged, but the cut was quite deep and will most likely require some surgery or stitches, he said.

The man was flown to Intermountain Medical Center in critical condition.

Despite the damage from the rail, it probably saved the man's life, Moss said.

"If it wouldn't have been there, he would have gone 300 to 400 feet down," Moss said. "He's very lucky the barrier was there."

Moss also warned other ATV riders against riding the popular dirt trail at night.

"I wouldn't recommend that people be up there after dark," he said. "It's very winding; a lot of those areas have no guardrail, no barrier."