Boundary County emergency crews respond to gunshot injury in Highland Flats area

November 6, 2014

Boundary County emergency services responded yesterday, November 5, to a call to assist a man with a gunshot wound in the area of the Highland Flats Snowmobile Park. It was thought this may have been related to a hunting accident. The Boundary County Sheriff's department and Boundary Volunteer Ambulance dispatched personnel to the scene. South Boundary Fire was also present to assist. While en route, not knowing ahead of time how serious or life-threatening the wound might be, and receiving third party information that there appeared to be significant blood loss in the injured person, the ambulance service requested deployment of a Life Flight medical transport helicopter to the scene. Officers from the Sheriff's department and an ambulance crew were directed onto a road above the Snowmobile Park, and traveled a couple of miles up that road where they located the victim of the accident. With help and radio direction from emergency personnel on the ground, the medical helicopter landed near the parking area at the park. Fortunately, the accident victim was found to have a wound which, although serious, was not immediately life-threatening. This serious wound appeared to require specialty surgical care. The injured person was transported via helicopter to Kootenai Health in Coeur d'Alene.