Lake Zurich to honor Boy Scouts who helped crash victims

Lake Zurich Boy Scout Troop 93 spent their last day at Medicine Mountain Scout Ranch in South Dakota by taking an afternoon hike through the woods when a few of the older boys heard a commotion.

Soon, they came across a grisly scene - a man and a woman had lost control of their Harley-Davidson motorcycle, slid off the road and plunged down a 10-foot gulch.

"The guy's head was trapped between a boulder and the rear tire, and the muffler was burning his back," said Maggie Gulledge, the troop's secretary who was with the Scouts June 27. "The lady's leg was twisted back between the guy and the rock."

For providing assistance to the crash victims, the troop will be honored Monday night at the Lake Zurich village board meeting.

The Scouts moved quickly to secure the area. They worked together to lift the motorcycle off the riders. While two Scouts held the motorcycle against a rock, two others climbed the hill to flag down passing cars. The driver of a Jeep stopped and let the Scouts tie straps from the Jeep to the motorcycle below to stabilize it further.

Because there was no cellphone service, they asked every passing driver if they had a two-way radio they could use to alert emergency services.

Two younger Scouts went down the trail to seek help. One hiker they encountered was a trauma nurse who went to the scene and was the first medical professional to provide aid to the crash victims. Members of the troop provided aid as well, including using their T-shirts to shield the crash victims from the motorcycle's hot muffler.

When emergency services arrived, the Scouts helped lift the victims up the hill.

Gulledge said both riders regained consciousness before the ambulance drove them away. She said the troop never heard how they are doing.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Gulledge said. "We were in the right place at the right time, right where we were meant to be."

In addition to being honored by the village board, Gulledge said, State Sen. Dan McConchie will be on hand to present the boys with certificates of merit.

The village board will meet at 7 p.m. at Lake Zurich village hall, 70 East Main St.