Woman Spots Jeep Dangling Over A Ravine With Driver Trapped Inside

A California woman is being hailed as a hero after she spotted a Jeep dangling about 1,000 feet over a ravine. Laurie Bowers was driving to meet her daughter for lunch when she noticed tire tracks that appeared to be going over the cliff, so she pulled over to investigate.

When she got to the edge of the cliff, she noticed a red Jeep had fallen about 50 feet down the mountain. The only thing keeping it from crashing to the bottom of the ravine was a single tree branch.

"I was like 'OMG there is somebody in the vehicle,' and I called 911 and just reassured the guy that I had help on its way and to stay calm as much as he could," Bowers told KPTV.

The Illinois Valley Fire District worked with a specialized team from the Josephine County Search and Rescue to pull the Jeep back onto solid ground.

The 23-year-old driver told paramedics that he had been trapped for over eight hours and thought he was going to die. He was airlifted to a hospital where he was treated for hypothermia and a fractured leg. Officials did not say how the driver ended up crashing over the side of the mountain.

The Illinois Valley Fire District shared photos of the daring rescue on Facebook and thanked Bowers for going out of her way to investigate the skid marks on the sparsely traveled road.

"A special thank you to Laurie Bowers of Happy Camp. (Name used by permission) The vehicle was not visible from the road. She saw the skid marks, stopped to investigate, and call 911. If she would have not taken the effort to help, the patient would have most likely died. This road in not heavily traveled this time of year. Thank you Laurie for taking the time to get involved, you saved his life."


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