Search and rescue personnel from Park and Big Horn counties teamed up last week to help evacuate an injured horsewoman from a canyon near Shell.

The woman, whom authorities did not name, had been riding with her family on June 23 when she was ejected from her horse in a steep and rocky area located north of Shell Canyon. She appeared to have suffered a closed head injury and a possible broken pelvis.

Big Horn County Search and Rescue asked for assistance from their Park County counterparts at 4:20 p.m., and both teams responded, along with personnel from Cody Regional Health.

Once the teams reached the victim, she was treated by Cody Regional Health EMTs and paramedics, then packaged into a wheeled litter and transported out.

Once the victim was successfully brought out of the canyon, she was transported via waiting Guardian Flight helicopter and flown to Billings. The Park County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that it had no further information on her condition.

Due to an area of the trail that was “exceedingly rocky and steep,” the search and rescue teams used a rope belay system to ensure a safe descent. The system uses friction to act as a brake on the rope; the tension on the rope helps protect the rescue team and if someone falls, they won’t fall very far.

The search and rescue teams have spent many hours training on and employing the method, which made for “a safe and effective rescue operation,” the Park County Sheriff’s Office said in the release.

Search and Rescue Coordinator Deputy Bill Brown credited the successful outcome of the mission, and many before, to the positive cooperative working relationship between agencies in and out of Park County.

“The ability for so many agencies to come together and work as one team provides for a much safer environment for everyone,” Brown said.