Driver trapped for 5 days after crash into 100-foot ravine, California rescuers say

An injured driver spent five days trapped at the bottom of a 100-foot-deep ravine after a crash, California rescuers reported.

A passerby reported seeing a wrecked pickup truck at the bottom of a ravine near Arvin on Saturday, Sept. 2, the Kern County Fire Department said in a news release.

Firefighters responding to the 10:58 a.m. report discovered the injured driver still inside the truck, which crashed into the ravine five days earlier on Tuesday, Aug. 29, officials said.

The injured person was immobilized and unable to escape, firefighters said.

Rescuers lowered one firefighter on ropes, then raised the patient in a litter. An ambulance took the injured driver to a helicopter to be airlifted to a hospital, officials said. An update on the person’s current condition was not available as of Sept. 5.

Arvin is about 20 miles south of Bakersfield.

This story was originally published September 5, 2023 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Driver trapped for 5 days after crash into 100-foot ravine, California rescuers say."