These hunters stumbled upon more than wild animals on their last adventure in the Wyoming woods. During their most recent excursion, the pair wandered in the wrong direction. They then ended up at the scene of a tragic accident. A small plane had crashed and caught fire. The hunters raced up to the scene and saw a plane engulfed in flames. Luckily, they were able to save the pilot's life just in the nick of time.
Hunters Save Pilot's Life Just In Time
Getty Images, splendens
The NY Post shares details about the dynamic duo that saved the pilot's life. Luckily, the two men were trained to rescue the wounded pilot they stumbled upon. Steve Atencio is a "Black Hawk pilot for the Wyoming Army Guard and former firefighter." His companion, "JR Larsen is an ex-athletic trainer."
The two men heard a loud bang around 10:45 am and rushed towards the sound. They only had to search for a short while until they saw the smoke rising from the trees in the distance. The trained hunters sprung into action. The NY Post shares that "Atencio quickly deployed a Garmin inReach device to send out an SOS" because neither of the men had cell service.
Once they knew that help had been called, the two hunters approached the scene, unknowingly about to save the pilot's life.
Hunters Turned Life Savers
The pair raced toward the scene of the smoke, with Larsen running slightly ahead as Atencio stayed back with first responders. He came to the scene of a downed plane with a fire burning all around it. He called out, checking for survivors. The pilot responded, calling out for help.
According to the Post, he believed his back was broken, though his arms and legs were still moving. The pilot also told Larsen that he believed his copilot had died. That comment is what made the scenario real for Larsen. The hunters knew they had to save this pilot.
The hunters placed a tarp under the pilot's body and began to drag him out from the roaring flames that were quickly engulfing the plane. However, the tarp broke so the hunters had to use a different method to save the pilot's life. They used one of their pack frames to make a "makeshift harness and strapped it onto the pilot to carry him away."
While carrying him, the men had to be careful of the injuries and burns that the pilot had sustained during the crash. Once he was pulled to safety, a rescue helicopter transported the pilot to a nearby hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment for his injuries.
Fate placed these hunters in the right spot at the right time so that they could save this pilot's life.
