Ventura rescue teams find lost motorcyclist

VENTURA COUNTY. Calif. - The Ventura County Sheriff's Department sent out a search team to find a motorcycle rider in the Los Padres National Forest on Sunday. A concerned caller said Jeffrey Skinner had not checked in with them and was riding in unfamiliar territory on the Miller Jeep Trail before staying the night at the Sunset Campground.

Under extremely hot conditions with twilight approaching, a Ventura County Sheriff’s helicopter began an aerial search of the Piru Creek Trail. A ground search was conducted using all-terrain vehicles.

At approximately 7:45PM, the Sheriff’s helicopter located a motorcycle on Piru Creek trail without a rider. The helicopter later located Skinner at the Gold Hill campground.

Skinner told search crews he began suffering from heat related issues and spent the day trying to cool himself in a nearby creek bed, using the shrubbery for shade. When the temperature finally began to drop on the trail, he hiked out on foot to the Gold Hill Campground area where the helicopter spotted him.

Skinner was evaluated by medical personnel and transported to the Lockwood Valley Substation.

First responders say Skinner staying calm, staying on the trail and having a plan to deal with the extreme conditions in the forest helped him survive and allowed them to find him.