NORTH FORSYTH — A Forsyth County Sheriff’s deputy was flown to an area hospital Thursday morning after suffering a head injury while on bicycle patrol in Central Park.

Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said the deputy was injured when he fell along a mountain bike trail in a ravine behind the park, which is off Keith Bridge Road northeast of Cumming.

“It’s not clear exactly what happened, but we know he did fall and suffered a head injury,” Rainwater said.

The deputy, who Rainwater identified as Sgt. Matt Runion, is a member of the agency’s bike patrol unit.

During the school year, members of the unit serve as school resource officers. Over the summer, however, they patrol the county’s parks and Big Creek Greenway.

According to Rainwater, the injured deputy’s partner radioed for assistance after the fall, which occurred about 9:35 a.m.

Due to the terrain where they were located, Runion had to be placed onto a Gator, similar to a large golf cart, and moved to the nearby Forsyth County Water Treatment Plant.

From there, he was flown by medical helicopter to North Fulton Hospital, where he underwent testing and was released Thursday afternoon. The rescue took less than 30 minutes and the flight about six.

“But he’s doing fine and should fully recover,” Rainwater said. “When it first happened, he was in and out of consciousness, so they’re weren’t sure how severe his injuries were.”