Snowmobiler suffers serious spinal injury riding in Jewel

A Whitefish man is recovering after a Dec. 15 snowmobiling accident on Jewel Basin Road that broke two cervical vertebrae and caused a spinal cord injury.

Lucas Stacy’s injuries have left him with very little sensation or movement between his armpits and feet.

Stacy is a snow patrol ranger for the U.S. Forest Service. He and his coworkers were snowmobiling back from an avalanche check when they encountered a vehicle stuck in the roadway and were forced to drive around it.

One of the snowmobiles became stuck and the group started to dig it out. When Lucas finally attempted to drive it out, the snowmobile began to tip. He tried to jump from the snowmobile, but his foot caught on the machine, flipping him head-first into a log.

His companions were trained emergency medical technicians, Kelsey said. “It was great that they knew what to do.”

The Bigfork and Creston fire departments arrived and transported Stacy to the ALERT helicopter, which took him to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Stacy is now recovering at Denver’s Craig Hospital. His wife, Kelsey, said he can’t move anything below his armpits, but has some sensation in his feet.

“At this point, we won’t know anything. There are no odds or chances,” she said.