Death, injuries part of busy weekend for rescues around Pikes Peak summit

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The past weekend was dangerous, even deadly, for some Pikes Peak visitors and busy for first responders conducting rescues there.

The trend started Friday afternoon when a helicopter landed on the summit. Responders found Robley Heninger, 59, dead and were trying to find a second person. Police have ruled the death as non-suspicious, but further details were unavailable as of late Monday morning.

The county coroner's office said autopsy results due in 4-6 weeks should determine the cause and manner of death.

On Saturday, a helicopter again responded to the mountain and apparently evacuated an injured person. John Stamm, a bystander, recorded video of the helicopter landing but details of that incident are unclear.

Stamm also was on Pikes Peak the following day, when a vehicle went off the road, down an embankment and crashed north of the shuttle parking lot at the 16-mile marker. Stamm posted photos on his Facebook page, saying that the driver was distracted but suffered only minor injuries.

Authorities said that because all three incidents were near the Pikes Peak Highway, the primary responding parties were the Pikes Peak Highway rangers and the Cascade Volunteer Fire Department.

El Paso County Search and Rescue responds to more remote areas a considerable distance from the highway. The team revealed last month that it was still conducting rescues on the Manitou Incline, even though the Incline has been closed because of the pandemic.

Authorities remind you that whether you're on the Peak or in a more remote area, you can wait a long time for help to arrive if you need it -- up to an hour, or longer.

A Search and Rescue spokesman said as more people come to the area to see local attractions, we can expect to have more rescues and medical emergencies there.