Darrell called 911 and got confirmation that help had been mobilized due to the SPOT 911 alert and he was able to provide more information about the situation and my condition. He then called my wife and his wife to give them an update. This was smart as the SPOT call center folks called Sherry to say the 911 button had been pressed and she had called Darrell's wife, but they had no more details until Darrell had called to let them know it was me who was hurt, but was conscious and without obvious traumatic injuries. Darrell then returned to my location.
Maybe 70-80 minutes after pressing the 911 button, a small bike came up the trail and the rider asked if this was the accident scene. A few minutes later two more bikes came up with two EMS folks as passengers and they proceeded to check me over. The noticed my breathing was labored and hooked me up to an oxygen tank and put on a neck brace as a precaution.
Maybe 15 minutes later a bigger quad came down the trail. I think it belonged to the Sheriff's department. It was a side by side type with backboard mounted over the passenger side. They strapped me in and I had a very painful 30 minute ride up to the interstate where an ambulance awaited.
(Sorry I'm a slow writer. More tomorrow)
The above was quoted from the accident rider's report on ADV.
Veteran SPOT owners will find this boring so skip it. It's really for those who are on the fence about getting a SPOT device, and others who might have one but don't really explore its potential.
Some words on the SPOT (referring to SPOT 2)
In addition to the 911 button, there are three other buttons, not including the power button, on the SPOT worth talking about in the context of dire situations. Tracking, Help, and Custom.
The latter two buttons are configurable with the owner's own message (custom is longer than Help) but more importantly, unlike even the 911 button, can be tweaked with email and cell phone contact targets to the owner's needs and desires.
So for example, if you're riding out in Big Bend and your bike quits working, you can press the Help button and anyone and everyone you've listed on your SPOT account will receive your ping and whatever words you tweaked into that message.
My impression is that many people don't really take advantage of this capability to the fullest, and might go right to the 911 button. Riders with SPOT devices should create a healthy list of contacts for this feature, and let those contacts know in advance what they would like to happen.
So back to the example, if my bike petered out somewhere on River Road, being out of cell phone range, I would press the Help button and my list of contacts would get a SPOT email/text message with my coordinates. My contacts know in advance two important things: that the SPOT message contains my GPS coordinates, and that my sending a Help message means I'm not medically critical but I do want to be hauled out of a remote location before a lot of time goes by. All my contacts know, in advance, that they can enter the SPOT-sent GPS coordinates into Google Maps and see wherever I am at that moment. Further, they're aware that there are different formats used for GPS coordinate systems and to be aware of that if it comes up. So far the reader can see that for a SPOT device to be fully effective, there is a bit of coordination necessary between the owner and his "team".
SPOT offers Roadside Assistance which takes over the Help button but I'm not going to get into that here.
The other button, known as "Custom", is an often underused or misused tool. Here, the owner can set a longer message, and again, create his own unique list of recipients using email and cell phone text messages. The possibilities are endless here, but the message has to be thought out in advance as the message can't be tweaked in the field to suit a particular situation. As with the Help button, these features are only effective if the owner/rider has entered a healthy list of recipients and their contact information, and has worked out a "what to do if you get this" arrangement with them in advance.
When I ride Mexico, my wife knows she is the primary "do something" person in the event a message is received from my SPOT. But, I have a cadre of other folks who will also "get the message" and who can look at the GPS coordinates and call her and they together can discuss where I am and what to do. True, in Mexico, the "what to do" may be limited from the states, but at least everyone will know where I am. My custom message in Mexico usually leans towards the sentiment that the bike needs wrenching but I am fine, so don't worry that the tracking isn't continuing like it has.
Tracking: A lot of folks don't want to pay the extra fee for this but I love it for the "fun" factor but my wife loves it for the "comfort" factor. When I'm riding Mexico, Guatemala etc. she can click on a link and "see" me wherever I am. If I get kidnapped by narcos (I kid here but some will pucker at my joke) at least she'll know my last route and be able to tell the FBI and the State Department where I was. A lot of us depend on the good will of our loved ones to let us go riding and I think doing our part to reassure and stay connected with our loved ones is huge. And tracking means they can decide to sit down at the computer and "see" where we are, not just wait by the phone for a call or wait for an email.
On the bike or on the body: There is no real "right" answer to this. SPOT owners don't even have to have the unit on, just carry it in a backpack and turn it on to press 911. Yes I've read the "on the bike on the body" debates ad nauseum and each side has its proponents. In this case of this guy going over the cliff one might say it would be best to have the SPOT on the body versus the bike, but overall the variables probably mean what's best for you is best for you.
The simplest SPOT formula is to at least have one on you with good batteries, and press 911 in every situation. If you're not traveling with one set of spare SPOT batteries you're doing it wrong.
The point of my post is to reaffirm that there is a whole host of other options the SPOT provides, provided that you think through the possibilities in advance and that you develop a "team" or a circle of good friends who will know in advance what the SPOT messages look like and how you want them to react.
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