A snowmobile crash that resulted in serious injuries for a Whitehorse man has him singing the praises of Yukon residents' selfless spirit.

Dev Hurlburt was taking some friends on a bison hunt Jan. 24 when he spotted a target and stopped to let one hunter get a shot off.

When Hurlburt dismounted, he was hit by the other sled in his party.

"I remember it all because I never lost consciousness," Hurlburt told the Star this week. "I was doubling one of the guys, got off the snowmobile and I guess the other snowmobile didn't see us stop and I got run over."

Lying in the snow and in a state of shock from the collision, Hurlburt remembers urging the hunters to go ahead and drop the bison.

"Well, we didn't get the bison and (my friends) laugh about the fact I was yelling, 'Shoot the bison!'" Hurlburt recalled.

"I was acting on adrenaline, I guess, and they reacted more on an intelligent level and decided not to take anything."

The good news was that Hurlburt did take his satellite phone along.

The group was able to call in a medevac helicopter to the crash location, approximately 70 km north of the Takhini Hot Springs.

While darkness was falling and they waited for the chopper to arrive, experienced outdoorsman Dean Turner, who was travelling with the group, took charge, and the outpouring of offers to help the ailing contractor since the mishap have flooded in.

"Dean knew what to do and how to look after me. He had lots of survival gear," said Hurlburt, who owns Hurlburt Enterprises.

"And my employees and friends and clients ... all these guys did whatever it took and continued to do whatever these last couple of weeks."

"They're going way overboard, helping and pitching in and even looking after my hobby farm."

Hurlburt said he broke no bones but injured his knee badly, seriously bruised his leg and has difficulty moving around and taking care of himself.

According to doctors, the 41-year-old businessman will need three to six months to make a full recovery.

In the meantime, Hurlburt wants to send a huge thanks to all those who assisted and continue to help, from the medical staff at the hospital in Vancouver - where he was flown after complications - to his employees who have put in extra time at work.

"There hasn't been 15 minutes go by since Sunday afternoon (Jan. 25) where I haven't had a phone call, somebody offering to do everything for my family, my business," Hurlburt told the Star.

"It makes a guy realize there's a lot of good people out there and a lot of times it's not recognized ... I can't say enough good things."

Hurlburt said he wants to heap particular praise on longtime local surgeon David Storey, "who put my knee back into place," and those involved in the rescue.

"I called the hospital from the SAT phone, they called 911 and got a helicopter to me with 11 minutes of daylight to spare," Hurlburt said.

"They were able to get me out of there in unbelievable time, on a Rendezvous Saturday.

Who ever in Whitehorse operates that emergency service is doing an awesome job."

While his injuries have made physical work impossible, Hurlburt has had much time to contemplate the kindness he's experienced, and blames nobody for the accident.

"This was not a case of Tom Foolery, it was just one of those things," he said.

Asked how he was feeling, Hulburt quipped, "Like I just got hit by a snowmobile."