A grader operator was airlifted after being found down an embankment along Chute Lake Rd. Wednesday morning, suffering from exposure. Penticton Search and Rescue airlifted a grader operator to safety after the man spent up to 10 hours on an 80-foot embankment near Chute Lake Road. PenSAR was called by the RCMP at 7:20 am. on Wednesday after a local road maintenance worker was reported missing. The man had not been reported since 10pm on Tuesday. Dozens of search and rescue volunteers searched the area. The air operations team was also dispatched to assist in the rescue which was centered around where the grader was found on Chute Lake Rd. RCMP located tracks off the roadway and discovered the man down the embankment, suffering from severe exposure. SAR members provided emergency medical assistance. Due to the seriousness of the man’s condition and the steep terrain they requested that he be airlifted out. The PenSAR air evacuation team conducted a long line evacuation. The patient was transported to a ground ambulance and transported to Penticton Regional Hospital. His condition is currently unknown. It was the second rescue in frigid conditions in the area in less than 24 hours. Central Okanagan Research and Rescue was dispatched after two hunters from Kelowna became stranded on the Jackpine Forest Service Road Tuesday night as temperatures dropped to -12C. Photo: PENSAR
