Jason and Ben Koperski didn’t expect to run into anyone while elk hunting near Encampment, Wyoming, last week. But their hunting trip took a sudden turn into a rescue mission after spotting a brown cowboy boot being waved along the side of the road.
“Had we not seen the very tip of his boot move, you couldn't see him there,” Jason Koperski told Cowboy State Daily. “Everything comes down to him waving a boot, because it would have been a whole different outcome if he hadn’t.”
The boot belonged to Phil Bollinger, who was trapped headfirst in a culvert alongside Wyoming Highway 70 after a motorcycle crash. He could have died there, but everything aligned to ensure he was rescued in time to get the medical care he urgently needed.
“Jason saved my life,” Bollinger told Cowboy State Daily from a Colorado hospital on Tuesday. “They got me to the doctor, and I’m alive to talk about it today because he stopped.”
Yellow Motorcycle And A Brown Boot
On Oct. 16, the Koperskis were on the second day of an elk hunting trip in southern Wyoming near Encampment.
After an unsuccessful morning, they were driving along the Battle Pass Scenic Byway in the Sierra Madre Mountains when they spotted a yellow motorcycle in a ditch off the side of the road.
“It looked like somebody dumped a bike, probably gotten hurt, and got a ride back into Baggs or Encampment,” Jason Koperski said. “We didn't think anything of it. We’ve owned that cabin for 30 years and have seen bikes broken down or dumped. We’re used to it by now.”
As they approached, the hunters noticed a single brown cowboy boot waving from the ditch, which alerted Jason that someone needed help. When they got to where the boot had snagged their attention, they found Bollinger wedged headfirst into a culvert with one of his legs trapped underneath his motorcycle.
Jason Koperski did search and rescue missions for seven years with the U.S. Coast Guard, and immediately went into rescue mode.
Since he and his father couldn’t get the motorcycle off Bollinger’s leg, they focused on keeping him warm and alert while calling 911 and trying to reach the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office.
Swerved To Miss Deer
Bollinger told Cowboy State Daily he was heading from Encampment to his home in Rawlins that day and decided to take the Battle Pass Scenic Byway to Baggs.
“I got up to the top of the hill before you start dropping down,” he said. “Their switchbacks are posted 35 mph, and I started coming down the first couple of switchbacks, cruising along and enjoying the beautiful scenery.”
Bollinger was cruising along when he encountered a herd of deer on the highway. As he swerved to avoid them, he hit a patch of gravel on the side of the road.
“I was trying to keep my motorcycle on the road and make sure nobody was beside me,” he said. “I didn't notice that there was a culvert that went underneath the road for drainage. Then I hit a rock that stopped the bike immediately and threw me off to the left, toward the road.
“I landed in the culvert with my head going towards the entrance of the underground drainage.”
Bollinger could reach his phone and tried calling 911, but had no service. Fortunately, he had a wealth of knowledge to draw from as he’s a CPR-certified trainer who teaches classes in wilderness safety.
“I started thinking about what to do and thought, ‘If I hear a car coming, I’ll just lift my leg and shake my boot around. Maybe somebody will see that,’” Bollinger said. “But everybody passed by and wouldn’t slow down.”
Jason, left, and Ben Koperski were hunting when they noticed the toe of a cowboy boot waving from a culvert along the road. It was Phil Bollinger, who was stuck under his motorcycle after a crash. (Courtesy Photos) 
Rescue personnel attend to Phil Bollinger, who got stuck headfirst in a culvert under his motorcycle after a crash on Wyoming Highway 70. He might have died there had a pair of local hunters not noticed his boot waving in the air to get their attention. (Courtesy Jason Koperski) 
Phil Bollinger (Courtesy Phil Bollinger) 
Father and son hunters Jason and Ben Koperski saved Phil Bollinger after he became stuck under his motorcycle in a culvert. (Courtesy Phil Bollinger) 
Phil Bollinger's motorcycle is recovered after a crash on Wyoming Highway 70. (Courtesy Phil Bollinger) 
Phil Bollinger's motorcycle had blood on it after his crash near Encampment. (Courtesy Phil Bollinger) 
Phil Bollinger rides his motorcycle, but it may be awhile before he can ride it again. (Courtesy Phil Bollinger) 
A helicopter flew Phil Bollinger to a hospital in Colorado, where they learned the true extent of his injuries. (Courtesy Jason Koperski)
Beyond Hollywood
Despite being aware and alert and “joking about 99% of the time,” Jason Koperski could tell Bollinger was in a lot of pain and needed medical attention.
“You couldn't get a Hollywood stuntman to recreate the way that happened,” he said. “You’re talking about a 3-foot diameter culvert, and he dived into it headfirst going 25 mph. There was no way that we were going to move him because you’ve got a possible spinal.
“So we're like, ‘Yeah, we're not going to move you,’ and he said, ‘I don’t feel like I can move or I’ll pass out.’”
Amazingly, Bollinger never lost consciousness.
“I was awake the whole time,” he said. “And I thought, ‘Well, that wasn't that wasn't that bad. I’ll just be able to crawl out of this thing and maybe have somebody help me get my bike out.’ But as I sat there catching my breath, I realized that I couldn't move, and my pain was starting to get bad in my left back area.”
The men could only wait for the urgent assistance they requested to arrive, which proved to be more arduous and complicated than anyone could have guessed.
On The App
When the Koperskis got through to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, the dispatcher had trouble determining their location. The system didn't even show their cabin’s physical address.
The solution was the onX Hunt app. Jason downloaded it on his phone and used it to determine and share their location with first responders.
“I literally went on my phone and opened up onX Hunt,” Jason Koperski said. “I said, ‘Here's our exact latitude and longitude, and we were able to give the dispatch the location immediately. The signal up there sucked, but onX was the key.”
Even with the location resolved, it would be a long time before EMS arrived. Jason called it “the longest hour” of his life.
“We were sitting there feeling helpless,” he said. “All we could do is monitor this guy, keep him warm and prevent him from going into shock.”
Parting The Skies
After an agonizing hour, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken arrived at the scene. Thirty minutes later, an ambulance got there, followed closely by a helicopter.
Only when the ambulance arrived could the motorcycle be lifted off Bollinger’s leg and the crash victim removed from the culvert.
Jason helped find a suitable landing spot for the helicopter, and after another 40 minutes, Bollinger was loaded up and flown to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado.
And just in time.
There were signs of an imminent storm in the Sierra Madres that afternoon, and the helicopter had to rise through the clouds once Bollinger was onboard.
“A pretty heavy storm was coming up,” Jason Koperski said. “That heli barely got off the ground, and the whole sky opened up. Ten minutes later, we got the strongest winds we've ever had up there, and it rained hard for over an hour. It was the most insane thing I've ever seen.”
Long Road Ahead
Despite Bollinger’s jovial attitude while stuck in the culvert, his situation was more critical than anyone realized.
“One of my broken bones in my back sliced through my artery,” he said. “I ended up taking 33 units of blood, which is double what you need in your body. It was coming out faster than they could get it in.”
Fortunately, he arrived at the hospital in time to get the critical care he needed. He has a long road to recovery ahead but is still in good spirits.
“He called me yesterday and was in a really good mood,” Jason Koperski said. “He told me, ‘I'm not gonna ride my bike anymore,’ and I said, ‘No, your wife's going make you sell your bike.’”
Bollinger recently retired and moved from North Dakota to Rawlins. He was riding alone on the Battle Pass Scenic Byway when he crashed.
The Koperskis have received an outpouring of relief and gratitude from Bollinger’s family. Jason said the families formed an “instantaneous bond” after the accident.
“When somebody stops to help, it ties everybody together,” he said. “That’s already what we've become in the last few days. Something like that can instantaneously bond you together.”
No Toys On Those Corners
Koperski is relieved that Bollinger is alive and recovering. He could have easily died there, unnoticed in the culvert had Koperski and his father not been passing by that afternoon.
“I decided to hunt in the east that morning,” he said. “I hadn’t done that in forever. And years and years and years ago, I made a pact with a good friend of mine that we never shoot calves or a yearling.
“I had a yearling come within 3 feet of me that morning, and it sat there and chirped for about 20 minutes. And I decided, when nothing else came up, that I would enjoy the walk back.”
Those small decisions placed the Koperskis in the right place and time to save Bollinger’s life. With the new bond they’ve forged, Jason Koperski wants to ensure Bollinger stays safe.
“The funny part is that he told me, ‘I think I'm gonna get a cute little Corvette or something.’” he said. “And I told him that when we bought that cabin almost 30 years ago, a guy from Saratoga bought a brand-new Ferrari and launched it off on those corners.
“So, I told him, ‘How about we avoid you going up there with any new toy you buy? You and corners on that mountain do not get along.’”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
