Two Mountain Bikers Seriously Hurt

Two mountain bike accidents Saturday put one cyclist into St. John’s Medical center and sent the other by Life Flight out of the valley.  Search and Rescue Coordinator Doug Meyer says the first incident took place about 9:45 am along the Hagen trail when a mishap sent a cyclist over his handlebars, necessitating assistance from the scene. Rescue efforts were jointly provided by Jackson Hole Fire/EMS, Jackson Police and Teton County Search and Rescue.  The unidentified biker suffered a suspected head injury.  The second call came in shortly before 3:00 pm when other bikers came across an unconscious mountain biker near his wrecked bike.  Search and Rescue Incident Commander Ed Fries says the injured biker, identified as 22-year-old Jacob Pitts of Rexburg, Idaho, was found along the “Jimmy’s Mom” trail at the bottom of a jump.  Fries says while Pitts was not biking alone, his companion had been in the lead and so was not the first to discover the mishap. Pitts was removed from the scene on an ATV, transferred to an ambulance and then flown from Stillson’s Parking Lot to Eastern Idaho Medical Center where he currently remains.  Fries says Pitts was wearing his helmet at the time of the accident.