Dirt biking high school student helps rescue Kelowna woman with dislocated hip

KELOWNA – The Kelowna woman who was rescued from a hiking trail in the Upper Mission may be bedridden, but she is forever thankful for the actions of rescuers, including a local high school student.

Kathryn Bockhold, 52, was hiking near Jack Smith Lake in the early afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 30 when her two dogs saw something and bolted.

“I tried to get out of the way but it didn’t work,” she says. “They got running full speed and took my legs out from under me.”

The fall dislocated Bockhold’s hip and without their cell phones, the two women did not know what they were going to do.

That’s when a Grade 10 student rode up on a dirt bike and offered to help.

“We just were really lucky there was this young guy,” she says. “He knew exactly what to do.”

Tyson, the only name he gave, used his phone to call 911 then rode down to meet the ambulance.

“It felt like a long time but I’m thinking it was maybe 45 minutes,” she says of her time waiting. “It was extremely painful. I couldn’t stand. I wasn’t going anywhere.”

The Kelowna Fire Department used their ATV Gator to pick Bockhold and her friend up and brought them to the waiting ambulance.

She is getting around with the help of crutches but doctors told her to expect to make a full recovery.

Bockhold says she wants to thank Tyson and everyone involved in her rescue and treatment. 

“Everyone was so wonderful,” she says. “The rescuers, the paramedic and the hospital staff. They definitely deserve some recognition.”

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