PRAIRIE CITY — The Grant County Sheriff’s Office, a Blue Mountain Hospital ambulance and a Life Flight emergency helicopter responded to a motorcycle crash that resulted in a serious injury in a remote area of southeastern Grant County on Thursday afternoon, June 1.

The Grant County Emergency Communication Center received a notification from a Garmin GPS device, which transmitted coordinates to the dispatch center immediately after the crash to help aid in locating the crash victim.

The rider, Todd A. Baker, 52, of Tigard, had suffered a puncture wound after he crashed through a boulder field on a hillside on the 774 Trail in southeastern Grant County and came to rest on the base of the slope, according to Sheriff Todd McKinley.

Life Flight 12 was able to fly to the GPS coordinates provided by the Garmin device and land in the area of the crash, McKinley reported. Due to the remoteness and rugged terrain, the ambulance was unable to access the area, he said.

Baker was part of a group of off-road motorcycle riders traversing the remote and rugged terrain of the 774 Trail, northbound toward the Malheur River ford at the Crescent Campground, he said.

Baker was given first aid by his riding party, according to McKinley’s report. A thunderstorm moved through the area after the crash, and Baker’s companions built a fire to warm him, according to McKinley.

This group of riders, McKinley reported, was well-prepared. The Garmin communication device helped save the rider’s life by cutting the time delay that would have occurred for the party to get in contact with emergency services, he said.

McKinley reminds the public to be prepared when traveling in the farther reaches of the county.