Fire crews rescued a driver in their 70s after a vehicle veered off a highway in Santa Cruz County and went down an embankment, fire officials said Monday night.
The crash was reported around 7:45 p.m. Sunday when fire crews responded to a report of a vehicle off the road on Empire Grade. The Cal Fire San Mateo – Santa Cruz Unit posted on social media a photo showing a vehicle down a steep wooded hillside and resting against large redwood trees.
A witness told responders the vehicle had been traveling behind them when it suddenly left the road and went down the embankment.
Firefighters used a rope rescue system to reach the driver and safely bring the person back up to the roadway. The driver was then airlifted to a hospital with severe injuries, Cal Fire said.
The rescue also involved Santa Cruz County Fire, Bonny Doon Volunteer Fire, Santa Cruz Fire, the California Highway Patrol, and UC Santa Cruz and Stanford Life Flight.
URL FOR AUTOMATED BCN RSS FEED:
https://www.baycitynews.com/images/2026/BCN-20260316-CALFIRECZU-01.jpeg
PLEASE GO TO https://baycitynews.photoshelter.com/index TO ACCESS THE FOLLOWING FILE(S):
BCN-20260316-CALFIRECZU-01.jpeg