WATCH: Air Support Crew Rescues Injured Man Trapped in Avalanche

Emergency crews in Washington saved a man who became trapped during an avalanche recently, and the rescue was caught on camera.

According to the Spokane Regional Air Support Unit (SRASU), its rescue 3 team members were deployed December 2 to the area of Table Rock Mountain, Fox 29 reported Saturday.

The 47-year-old man had apparently been knocked off his snow bike before tumbling down the hillside.

Video footage shows crew members preparing to go down and retrieve the man. One of them, wearing orange and blue, is seen being lowered to the ground from high above the trees.

Another crew member guides him on his way down, through the snow-covered trees.

Rescue Medic Moeckel’s body camera caught the moment he touched the ground, moved his gear, rolled over, and stood up to continue the mission.

“Copy. Snow is pretty deep, it’s gonna take me a minute to get to him,” he told fellow rescuers as he tramped and dug through the snow.

In its video description, the Spokane Sheriff said, “Moeckel was lowered to the ground by hoist, assessed the patient’s needs, and formulated a plan to safely extract him from the snowy mountainside.”

“It was decided an Air Rescue Extraction System (ARES) bag, similar to a litter, was needed to safely lift the patient from the location due to his injuries. The ARES bag was lowered to Helicopter Rescue Medic Moeckel on the ground, and the patient was hoisted off the hillside,” the agency continued.

The man was eventually transported to a hospital in Walla Walla. He suffered a broken femur near his hip and following surgery was scheduled to go home.

In a social media post on December 3, the patient expressed thanks to everyone who helped him make it out alive:

Meanwhile, a similar instance occurred recently in Utah when a skier trapped during an avalanche was rescued.

According to Britannica, avalanches take the lives of over 100 people every year in North America and Europe.

“Most of those killed are backcountry skiers, climbers, snowshoers, and snowmobilers who accidentally trigger an avalanche and become buried in the snow,” the site reads.