JENNER – A man found hundreds of feet away from where his car went over a cliff off the Sonoma coast was rescued Sunday morning, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Sheriff’s Office Henry-1 helicopter was called around 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 along State Highway 1 near Jenner.
A ranger then located the vehicle about 200 feet from the roadway, with only a large tree keeping the vehicle from rolling further down the cliff, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The ranger climbed down the steep embankment to check the vehicle for occupants while the Henry-1, along with a paramedic and an officer, lowered a 100-foot lifeline to the vehicle.
**HENRY-1 RESCUES SUBJECT TO A VEHICLE ACCIDENT AFTER THEY WENT OVER A CLIFF ON THE SONOMA COAST** This morning around 8:00 AM, Henry-1 was requested for a 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 California State Parks Ranger located the vehicle approximately 200 feet from the roadway. A large tree prevented 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 rescue at a distance of 30 meters. The Henry-1 Tactical Flight Officer (TFO) and a Coast Life Support District paramedic were flown to the vehicle via the longline. They found no one in the vehicle and began an extensive search through the rugged terrain looking for anyone who may have been ejected from the vehicle or escaped the wreckage. Fire crews from the Monte Rio Fire Protection District and the Timber Cove Fire Department have set up a rope system to send personnel to the wreckage to assist in the search. After approximately 45 minutes of searching the area, the Henry-1 TFO was flown over the longline to check the surrounding ravines. After approximately 10 minutes, the pilot and TFO located what appeared to be debris that had been disturbed approximately 300 feet away from the vehicle. They continued to search the ravine for the disturbed dirt. The TFO was able to locate the victim lying in some brush at the bottom of a tree. The victim was approximately 100 meters away from the wreckage. Henry-1 picked up the Coast Life Support District paramedic and both the TFO and paramedic were flown to the victim. The victim, who was seriously injured, was placed in a rescue apparatus and flown to the nearby Sonoma County Fire District helicopter, Sonoma County 1. Sonoma County 1 transported the victim to a local trauma hospital where he was expected to survive.
Posted by Sonoma Sheriff on Sunday, May 19, 2024
According to the Sheriff’s Office, they did not find anyone in the vehicle, but have begun an extensive search of the rugged terrain looking for anyone who may have been ejected from the vehicle or escaped the wreckage. Firefighters from the Monte Rio Fire Protection District and the Timber Cove Fire Department have set up a rope system to send personnel to the wreckage to assist in the search.
After approximately 45 minutes of searching the area, the Henry-1 was flown over the longline to check the surrounding ravines and locate what appeared to be debris that had been disturbed approximately 300 feet from the vehicle. A further search continued in the ravine and the victim, a man, was discovered lying in some brush at the bottom of a tree approximately 100 yards from the wreckage.
The man was seriously injured and was placed in a rescue apparatus and flown to the nearby Sonoma County Fire District helicopter, the Sonoma County 1, which took the victim to a local trauma hospital where he is expected to survive, the Sheriff’s Office said.
