Peter Surowski THE PRESS ENTERPRISE
SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS: Helicopter Crews Perform 2 Rescues (UPDATE)
July 15, 2015
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  • Sheriff’s officials had a busy day in the San Bernardino Mountains on Tuesday, July 14, conducting two helicopter rescue operations.

    A Long Beach man had to be rescued after doing a back-flip into the water at Deep Creek Hot Springs — about 5 miles north of Lake Arrowhead — and landing on a submerged rock, sheriff’s officials said in a news release.

    Someone called for help about 8:41 a.m. saying the man, 25-year-old Robert Wittman-Spinuzzi, had serious back injuries.

    A helicopter crew dropped a firefighter paramedic onto the scene, and Wittman-Spinuzzi was placed into a bag and onto a backboard. The victim was then hoisted 100 feet into the chopper and the crew took him to a clearing. Paramedics then loaded him into a ground ambulance and brought him to St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, sheriff’s spokesman Jennifer Fuhrman said.

    The second call for help at 2:43 p.m. reported a hiker who fell and cut his foot at Aztec Falls — about 4 miles northeast of Lake Arrowhead, said San Bernardino County sheriff’s Lt. Mitch Dattilo.

    Again, a sheriff’s helicopter crew flew in and dropped a firefighter paramedic, who found the victim, 19-year-old Calimesa resident Gavin Derosier. He was unable to hike out, sheriff’s officials said in a news release.

    The paramedic helped Derosier into a harness and the helicopter crew hoisted him 80 feet into the fuselage. They then took him to Mountains Community Hospital in Lake Arrowhead, the release said.

    http://www.pe.com/articles/rescues-773368-arrowhead-helicopter.html