The Flight For Life helicopter was humming over the Uncompahgre Plateau one evening in March. The sun had just set as the aircraft cleared the San Juan Mountains on its mission to transport a critical patient from Mercy Hospital in Durango to Grand Junction.
Flight nurse Paul Geslao glanced out the left side of the helicopter somewhere northeast of Norwood and noticed a car, about a mile away, flash its lights.
“First it was a single flash, and I thought it just caught my eye, like the car lights were on,” Geslao said. “But then they were kind of panic flashing over and over and over. And I was like, ‘Oh, I think they’re signaling us.’”
Pilot Chris Will swung around and flew several orbits over the car. The driver got out and began waving at the helicopter, clearly trying to get the crew’s attention.
They marked the location and informed their dispatch center of the interaction, but continued to Grand Junction with the patient on board. Dispatch then notified the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office.
After dropping the patient in Grand Junction, the crew returned to the man’s location. They arrived at 10:20 p.m. and illuminated the area with a spotlight, revealing that the man’s car was stuck in the snow despite efforts to dig it out.
They hovered overhead until they could confidently relay the man’s location to dispatch, then continued back to Durango. The crew later learned that based on the coordinates they provided, rescuers were able to locate the man.
“He probably could have potentially been out there for a little while if he didn't signal us,” Geslao said.
Flight For Life often assists in search and rescue missions, both by extracting injured people from remote locations and by helping to look for lost individuals. But it’s rare to stumble upon a situation by chance, Will said.
The crew discussed landing to assist the man, but company policy prohibits them from self-dispatching, and requires such requests for assistance be forwarded to another agency.
Still, Geslao said signaling the helicopter was the right move.
“It was just a bit of luck. We were in the right place at the right time, and that guy saw us,” he said. “Had he not flashed, I don't think we would have seen him at all. We would have flown right by.”
rschafir@durangoherald.com
