Four-wheeler wrecks lead to terrifying experience

Trapped in the wilderness as darkness fell Sunday evening, two of their party injured and their sole link to rescue being a cellphone, the three people found in the isolated mountain region of southern Warren County told their story this week.

?There was one point I couldn?t feel my legs,? recalled Steve Dykes, who was unsure how bad he had hurt himself when his four-wheeler turned over on him in the rural area off Myers Cove Road. ?I was laid out there under stars thinking to myself this would be just as good a day to go as any.?

Dykes was injured Sunday night while four-wheeling with friends Karen Pedigo and Holly Davis. The group had left Dykes? business and ridden several miles into the isolated region before straying from the trail and getting lost.

?We had gotten onto pretty mountainous terrain so I was trying to turn around and go back up top when it flipped back on me,? Dykes recalled. ?It like to have killed me.

Pedigo, who was also hunting, had let Davis off her four-wheeler which they had been sharing when she too crashed in a similar fashion, leaving her badly bruised and cut. Pedigo said Davis was able to pull the four-wheeler up enough so she could crawl out from under its weight.

?It was getting dark so I used my cellphone to call 911,? said Davis, recalling the three realized it would be extremely dangerous to try to walk the cliff-laden terrain after dark. ?I told them there had been a four-wheeler accident and we had two injured. At the time, I didn?t know how badly they were hurt.?

The cellphone signals were used to pinpoint the location of the three in the woods and their location was sent to search teams who were in the area.

The three admitted they were very happy to see rescue workers come to their aid, about two hours after the drama began to unfold, although Pedigo noted her disastrous evening was not over as she fell out of the rescue vehicle as they were making their way to safety.

?We really want to thank all the folks who came out and looked for us,? Dykes said.

As for future four-wheeling, at least one of the group says once was enough.

?This was my first and last time four-wheeling,? said Davis, noting Pedigo had talked her into going. ?There?s no way I?m getting back out on one of those things after this.?

The three said in addition to the harrowing incident, they have also had to put up with rumors and idle talk about their accident since just two of the three names appeared on the initial accident report.

?I wasn?t even on the four-wheelers when they wrecked, yet there?s been rumors I?m all beat and banged up. I?ve not got a mark on me,? Davis said. ?And then there?s folks who were claiming we (Davis and Dykes) were a couple and that?s not true either since we just met along with Karen to go riding for fun. It?s amazing how rumors get started about the stupidest things.?