April 3, 2024 3:45 a.m. 

A cross country skier was rescued after falling and injuring her ankle on Sunday afternoon.

Lieutenant Brad O’Dell of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said at approximately 1:30 p.m. 911 dispatchers received a report of a 57-year-old woman who fell and injured her ankle while cross country skiing near Mt. Thielsen with her companion. O’Dell said the victim was unable to bear weight on the injured leg and requested assistance.

Deputies activated the DCSO Search and Rescue team. They responded to the area along with volunteers from Diamond Lake Resort. O’Dell said searchers used snowshoes to hike the four miles into the base of a tree line where they located the victim, Trina Reiter of Eugene and her companion just before 7:45 p.m.

Searchers stabilized Reiter’s injury, placed her in a litter and transported her back to the trailhead shortly before 1:30 a.m. Monday, to a waiting ambulance. Reiter was evaluated by medical crews at the scene and went to the hospital in a private vehicle.

O’Dell said, “This mission shows the dedication of our search and rescue deputies and volunteers who spent their Easter Sunday assisting someone in our community who was in need of their services”. O’Dell said, “This mission was very successful, and Trina was extremely thankful for the care and compassion shown to her by Douglas County SAR and Diamond Lake Resort volunteers”.

Douglas County SAR is a division of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office with approximately 90 active volunteers and two full-time Search and Rescue Deputies.