In this image provided by the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, rescuers assist with rescue efforts after a vehicle crashed into an embankment on U.S. Forest Service Route 39 in Oregon on June 3, 2024. A dog that helped rescue its owner after the accident traveled nearly four miles to a campsite where the owner was staying with his family and alerted them that something was wrong, authorities said. (Baker County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
Baker County Sheriff’s Office/AP
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Baker County Sheriff’s Office/AP
BAKER COUNTY, Ore. — Authorities say a dog helped rescue its owner after a crash in a steep ravine in the mountains of northeastern Oregon.
A man and his four dogs were driving on a remote U.S. Forest Service road on June 2 when they crashed into a ravine below, according to a news release posted on Facebook by the Baker County Sheriff’s Office. One of the dogs traveled nearly four miles to the campground where the man was staying with his family, alerting them that something was wrong, the release said.
The next day, his family found his car and called 911 because they couldn’t reach the steep terrain. When authorities arrived, they found the man about 100 meters away from the car after hearing him yelling for help. He was able to climb out of the vehicle after the crash, the release said.
U.S. Forest Service employees used chainsaws to clear a path through vegetation for search and rescue teams, who set up a complex system of ropes stretching from one side of the canyon to the other. When they found the man, authorities placed him on a rescue stretcher and hooked him to a rope, which then used the rope as a pulley system to transport him to the other side of the canyon with a rushing stream below, photo by Sheriff’s Office shows.
The man was airlifted to an area hospital, authorities said. Three of his other dogs were found alive at the scene of the accident.
