DATE/TIME: October 15, 2022 / 8:08 p.m.
INCIDENT: Search & Rescue
LOCATION: San Gorgonio Wilderness
VICTIM(S): 12 Students from University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
SUMMARY: On Friday, October 14, 2022, 36 students from UCSD’s “Outdoor Adventures” program set out to hike three different trails located in the San Gorgonio Wilderness area. Teams were broken into groups of 12, with each team having two team leaders. Each group was equipped with a ‘Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and satellite phones.
On Saturday, October 15, 2022, a PLB was activated and an emergency response was sent to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) in Florida. The location showed near the Saxton Trail Campground, where one of the groups was scheduled to be. A massive thunderstorm had just passed in the reported area. The activation was relayed to California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) who contacted the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department dispatch center.
The team’s vehicle was located at the Momyer Trailhead in Forest Falls. Dense fog and heavy rain still covered the area, making it unsafe for a helicopter or ground units to enter. The PLB was initially turned off from the first activation, but three more followed, showing in different locations. No other forms of communication were transmitted.
Members from one of the groups was able to establish communication on Sunday, October 16, 2022, at about 1:36 am. They relayed there was one female in the group who was hypothermic and six others who had the potential of becoming hypothermic, still on the mountain near Saxton Campground.
The San Gorgonio Search & Rescue team (San G SAR) was activated and deployed a hasty team to assist in rescue efforts. They located the victims and provided warm clothing, food and water. A sheriff’s helicopter was requested to hoist the victim out, but due to high winds they were unable to remain on scene and complete the hoist.
San G SAR personnel carried the hypothermic victim in a wheeled litter while escorting the rest of the victims throughout the night and day over numerous miles of wet, treacherous mountain terrain. All of the victims reached safety at about 1:52 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The hypothermic victim was transported to a local hospital for further medical care.
Refer: Deputy C. Cordoba
Station: Yucaipa Station
Phone No. 909-918-2305
Case No. 042200728
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff-Coroner
San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department
