Friends Carry Man To Safety Hurt 4-Wheeler Packed Out On Stretcher Made Of Twigs

Friends of an injured four-wheeler packed him out Saturday evening on a stretcher made of saplings and a jeep door, police and the injured man’s wife said Sunday.

“They literally made a stretcher out of sticks and logs, and splinted both his legs,” said Shoshone County sheriff’s Deputy Jerry Stemm. “They did one heck of a job.”

David Graham, 49, of Rathdrum, was listed in fair condition Sunday at Kootenai Medical Center. He was driving a Toyota Landcruiser at Pine Creek, south of Pinehurst, when the rig went off a remote road and tumbled 200 feet.

One passenger, 15-year-old Troy Crandall, jumped out, suffering only a bump on the head. Two others, 18-year-old Travis Crandall and Graham’s 7-year-old son Brandon, were in seat belts during the fall. They also suffered only minor injuries.

David Graham’s ankles apparently got twisted under the vehicle’s pedals, fracturing both legs, said his wife, Bonnie. He wasn’t belted in, having just climbed back into the cab from clearing brush.

Other members of the North Idaho Trail Blazers four-wheeling club rescued Graham and sent for help. It was the first time the 3-year-old club has had an accident, Bonnie Graham said.

When it appeared that David Graham was going into shock, club members kept talking to him and piled blankets and coats on him. First-aid talks were part of the club’s meetings, Bonnie Graham said.

David Graham and his son were airlifted out of an old logging or mining camp about three fourths of a mile from the wreck.

Bonnie Graham said her husband will have bone surgery and four to six months of recovery.

“It’s going to take a while, but he’ll be back on his feet,” she said.

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