Man rescued after being thrown from car that went over North Coast cliff
By
Katy St. Clair
/ CBS/Bay City News Service
JENNER -- A man who was found hundreds of feet from where his car went over a cliff off the Sonoma Coast was rescued Sunday morning, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
The Sheriff's Office Henry-1 helicopter was requested at about 8 a.m. after the driver's Ford Automatic Crash Notification System reported a collision. GPS coordinates were obtained and showed an accident in the Jewell Gulch/Myers Grade area off state Highway 1 near Jenner.
A ranger then located the vehicle about 200 feet down from the roadway, with only a large tree stopping it from rolling further down the cliff, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The ranger climbed down the steep embankment to check the vehicle for occupants as the Henry-1 lowered a 100-foot longline rescue to the vehicle with a paramedic and officer.
**HENRY-1 RESCUES SUBJECT FROM A VEHICLE ACCIDENT AFTER THEY WENT OVER A CLIFF ON THE SONOMA COAST**
This morning at around 8 AM, Henry-1 was requested for the report of a vehicle accident on the Sonoma Coast. The accident was reported by the Ford Automatic Crash Notification System. GPS coordinates were obtained by REDCOM through the 9-1-1 system. The coordinates showed the accident around the Jewell Gulch/Myers Grade area on HWY 1 north of Jenner. A Ranger with the California State Parks located the vehicle approximately 200 feet down from the roadway. A large tree stopped the vehicle from rolling further down the cliff. The State Parks Ranger climbed down the steep embankment to check the vehicle for occupants.
Henry-1 arrived and the crew configured the helicopter for a 100-ft longline rescue. The Henry-1 Tactical Flight Officer (TFO) and a Paramedic from the Coast Life Support District were flown to the vehicle via the longline. They did not locate anyone inside the vehicle and began an extensive search of the rugged terrain looking for anyone who may have been ejected or who escaped the wreckage. Fire personnel from the Monte Rio Fire Protection District and the Timber Cove Fire Department set up a rope system to deploy personnel to the wreckage to assist with the search.
After approximately 45 minutes of searching the area, the Henry-1 TFO was flown on the longline to check the surrounding ravines. After approximately 10 minutes, the Pilot and TFO located what appeared to be dirt that had been disturbed approximately 300 feet down from the vehicle. They continued to search down the ravine from the disturbed dirt. The TFO was able to locate the victim laying in a patch of brush at the bottom of a tree. The victim was approximately 350 feet down from the wreckage.
Henry-1 retrieved the Coast Life Support District Paramedic and both the TFO and Paramedic were flown to the victim. The victim, who was critically injured, was placed into a rescue device and flown to the nearby Sonoma County Fire District helicopter, Sonoma County 1. Sonoma County 1 flew the victim to a local trauma hospital where he is expected to survive.
According to the Sheriff's Office, they did not locate anyone inside the vehicle but began an extensive search of the rugged terrain looking for anyone who may have been ejected or who escaped the wreckage. Fire crews from the Monte Rio Fire Protection District and the Timber Cove Fire Department set up a rope system to deploy personnel to the wreckage to assist with the search.
After approximately 45 minutes of searching the area, the Henry-1 was flown on the longline to check the surrounding ravines and located what appeared to be dirt that had been disturbed approximately 300 feet down from the vehicle. A search was continued down the ravine and the victim, a man, was discovered lying in a patch of brush at the bottom of a tree, approximately 350 feet down from the wreckage.
The man was critically injured and placed into a rescue device and flown to the nearby Sonoma County Fire District helicopter, the Sonoma County 1, which flew the victim to a local trauma hospital where he is expected to survive, the Sheriff's Office said.
