A 57-year-old Helena man has died as a result of injuries he incurred falling into a cave northeast of Avon on Monday.

Alan James Smith was flown by helicopter from the scene near Ophir Cave to St. Peter's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Lewis and Clark County Coroner Mickey Nelson.

Smith was riding dirt bikes with a friend when he went to take pictures of the cave, which is popular with spelunkers. He then fell down about 50 feet, according to Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton.

The friend crawled out of the cave and called 911 with a cell phone. The call was received by Powell County dispatch at 11:33 a.m., said Powell County Sheriff Scott Howard, who was one of the first on the scene.

Although the cave is in Lewis and Clark County, the call was first believed to be in Powell County.

Howard said emergency responders rapelled into the cave to retrieve Smith. After spending nearly four hours in the cave, Smith was transported to a nearby vehicle and driven to an awaiting LifeFlight helicopter about a half mile away.

Nelson said Smith died at the hospital at 4:17 p.m. from traumatic head, torso and limb injuries.

The friend was not injured.

The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office is investigating the scene of the fall to document the death as standard procedure, Dutton said.

Powell County search and rescue and the Avon Fire Department also responded.

Angela Brandt: 447-4078 or angela.brandt@helenair.com