Peter Roy is a sport motorcycle enthusiast from Phoenix, Arizona who has been riding for nearly 40 years. Living only thirty minutes from Lake Pleasant Regional Park, Peter frequently visits the park to enjoy the trails. Surrounded by the Sonoran Desert, Lake Pleasant is a favorite destination for outdoor and adventure enthusiasts.Headed to the park for a solo ride Labor Day weekend, there were many people there enjoying the long weekend. Venturing off onto his own, Peter decided to ride a remote five-mile Jeep/ATV trail branch with his destination a historic Fort site in the park. On his return ride through the trail, his rear wheel slid out, attempting to get off the bike, Peter ended up breaking his left leg.
On the ground contemplating what had occurred, Peter recalled the situation, “my foot felt like a lump of Jell-O on the end of my leg, and my survival kit was in a side pannier beneath the bike and completely inaccessible!” The temperature was about 105 degrees and rising with no shade in sight and no cell phone coverage. For Peter the decision to activate the SOS on his SPOT X was a simple one.
Within minutes, Peter received a call that his location was known and help on the way. The operator advised him to try and use his cell phone to call 911 but his phone quickly overheated due to the extreme temperature and shut off.
The Department of Public Safety soon arrived via helicopter, life flighting Peter to the nearest trauma hospital. During the flight the pilot noted how accurate the GPS coordinates were that were provided to him. Peter’s stay at the hospital last three days and he emerged “one rod and six screws later.” His bike and gear were retrieved from the park the following afternoon.
Peter is slowly on the mend following his accident. When his wife went back to retrieve his bike, she remembers the recovery driver mentioning how no one typically traverses the path. “If I didn’t have my SPOT X with me, my outcome might have been very different,” he added.