Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — One of New York's finest led the list of injured vacationers that packed the emergency room this Presidents Day weekend.

It wasn't a record-breaking weekend (no pun intended), but it was busy.

Yampa Valley Medical Center saw 46 emergency patients on Saturday, 58 on Sunday and 50 on Monday, most of which were ski injuries.

Nurse Manager Marti Potter believes the record number of emergency patients is 70.

One of the worst injuries was a New York policewoman who was snowmobiling with her family on Sunday in north Routt County. Fortunately for her, a Search and Rescue team was just two miles away working another scene when they got the call.

"We were just going down the trail and suddenly we were off the road," said Barbara Jones from Staten Island, New York.

"I felt like I stopped it (the snowmobile) with my leg."

Jones and her daughter found themselves going into a grove of trees. Her leg caught a log as the snowmobile went off course. The leg stayed under the log while her body went forward, snapping her femur. The rest of her family came up on the accident seconds later. Barbara Jones was on the ground with her leg bent unnaturally and her 14-year-old daughter Brianna was sitting against a tree next to the wrecked snowmobile.

Rescue workers made it on the scene within 10 minutes and said Jones was relatively calm for the situation.

Jones said it was easier when she realized her daughter, who was driving, was fine.

"You just want everyone to stay calm," Jones said. "Seeing she was OK made me feel like this was OK."

Jones' husband, a 20-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, said his wife is tough, but he gave credit to what he called "fantastic rescue workers."

"Adam Christman was spectacular," Thomas Jones said. "You can't imagine the confidence he gave her, and Tyler our guide was also very calm.

"Three or four miles back in the wilderness, you feel pretty helpless," he said. "They come along and give you a little more confidence."

Except for the accident, Thomas Jones said Steamboat Springs has been "the most pleasant experience."

Barbara Jones refused to let her family's final day of vacation be ruined and sent them off to ski Monday. She felt she was in good hands.

"They (Search and Rescue) were so wonderful and the hospital staff I can't say enough about everybody. They did absolutely wonderful," Jones said.

Potter said Jones' was one of the worst injuries.

"We expected Presidents weekend to be pretty busy," Potter said.

"They were all pretty standard broken wrists, ligament injuries, lots of knees, lots of orthopedics."

Jones couldn't estimate the typical wait for emergency room patients this weekend, but the staff was surprised at how well-mannered everyone seemed despite the wait.

"We commented on what nice patients we had (Sunday)," Jones said.

"Our patients had patience."