Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery - rolled side by side - June 9th 2019

On Sunday June 9th, 2019 a team from Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery went up to Red Feather Lakes, Colorado to recover a side by side that went just short of 300 feet down a steep hill after being pulled out of park by a 4 year old on accident during a photo op at the bottom of the hill. These side by sides don't have any kind of factory interlock on the parking mechanism requiring pushing the brake to release park.

The side by side picked up speed dramatically as it was parked on the slope (only option at the turnout as it is sloped) dragging Grandpa with as he frantically tried to reach for the shift lever before it launched off the first drop nose first. Keep in mind, a 4 year old girl inside the side by side... tumbling end over end bouncing 10-20 feet in the air with each impact before ejecting her some 200 feet down, and the side by side stopped another 75 (ish) feet away, precariously jammed against a rock keeping it from going further.

Now don't worry, the young girl was taken to the hospital obviously, but was discharged with nothing more than bruises on her body, and a tiny hairline bone fracture just below her eye that looks more like a bruise than anything. It was reported by Grandpa on scene with us that she attended her dance recital the night of the 8th and is doing just fine! Happy as can be! Absolutely a miracle there was no further injury.

This was a very long day of pulling this 1200 pound machine up a nearly 45 degree slope. Members began leaving their homes as early as 5 AM, and returned home as late as 7:30 PM. Rigging... re-rigging... over and over and over. Until some 6 hours after the operation started, it was finally on flat ground and considered "recovered." Once on the flat land again, it had to be pulled uphill almost a mile to the waiting truck and trailer to get it off the mountain. This machine is totaled. Everything is tweaked and bent, including the frame.

I do want to mention a couple of things. This operation was very complicated, one of the trickier ones I have been lead on. A 45 degree angle with a 1200 pound machine being drug through a boulder field is no joke. We completely stopped a 9,500 pound winch pulling in line... MORE THAN ONCE. Because of this overload on the electrical system, we had to trade this vehicle out for another as there were warning lights on the dash. We also had to work close to the polaris sxs multiple times to get it free'd from boulders, cast it off with the high lift jack, etc. Is this dangerous? ABSOLUTELY. I never recommend working around loaded winch lines. EVER. We had no choice a handful of times on this one. We also do not add mass to our lines and throw 5-10 pound winch dampers on, that is more dangerous than just letting line recoil. There are plenty of videos on youtube of damper bags going through windows while being tested on if they can drop the line or not, 99% of the time, they become a missile. The second we could get back to synthetic line, we did since this is so much safer than steel. Synthetic line will be a linear failure and fall to the ground whereas steel will whip around possibly in a 360 degree radius of the length of the steel line. But steel is the only thing you can drag across boulders with less risk of a line failure. So we had to use it.

Great job team!! We retrieved the owners property, cleaned up the mountain side, and closed out a tragic situation that ultimately had a happy ending.

This machine was pilfered for parts prior to our arrival. If anyone knows of someone running around Northern Colorado with a new helmet, spare tire, cooler, a stolen winch, the keys and registration that does not belong to them, the Larimer County Sheriff's office and the owner of the side by side would like to chat with you. Please turn in the thief(s).

Thank you all for your support on the channel, and your support of the organization. I am just a member, but we do amazing things here. If you're interested in joining or donating, please visit www.co4x4rnr.org for details.

if you'd like to check out the owners video of the day, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRV8fGKGttk

Видео Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery - rolled side by side - June 9th 2019 канала Justin King