A 38-year-old woman was seriously hurt when she fell from her horse Sunday afternoon at Rock Creek Campground in the Yacolt Burn State Forest.
Life Flight helicopter took the woman from the park seven miles southeast of Yacolt to a local hospital.
Chief Ben Peeler of Fire District 13 in Yacolt said he believed the woman’s injuries were non-life-threatening.
The accident happened about 1:59 p.m., Peeler said. The woman’s name and home town were not available because of medical privacy laws.
Campground host LeRoy Leaf said he understood the woman is from Chehalis but he did not know her name.
“She was moving the horse just a short distance … when another horse scared her horse and bucked her off, and she landed on her head,” Peeler said.
“Her family and friends said she was unconscious for a time but she was conscious when we arrived,” Peeler added.
The chief said the woman usually wears a helmet when riding but was not wearing a helmet when the accident occurred because she was moving the horse to its trailer.
Peeler’s crew radioed for the Life Flight helicopter and that crew was nearby.
“They were in the air. They were already returning from a call,” Peeler said. “She was placed on trauma alert status.”
Peeler said the woman suffered a head injury as well as hurting her shoulder and right arm.
Peeler said he believed the woman was an accomplished rider.
Both Fire District 13 and North Country EMS responded with an ambulance and a brush truck, Peeler said.
The chief added that it was fortunate that Life Flight was in the area and could respond so quickly.
Rock Creek Campground has 19 campsites and more than 26 miles of trails, including the Tarbell Trail and the Bell’s Mountain Trail.
