Girl flown to safety after horse throws her in Mount Diablo park

A girl riding a horse Thursday afternoon in Mount Diablo State Park completed her journey in a much different form of transportation: a helicopter.

The 16-year-old was thrown from her horse around noon on the Stage Road Trail in the rugged southwest corner of the vast park at the center of Contra Costa County.

Park officers and a San Ramon Valley Fire crew that responded to the need for assistance then called the California Highway Patrol’s air operations unit to help hoist her to safety.