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A driver survived a horror crash into a steep ravine thanks to his dog, who traveled miles on its own to alert authorities.
Brandon Garrett was driving with his four dogs on a remote US Forest Service road on June 2 when he crashed into a ravine, according to the Baker County Sheriff’s Office.
One of the dogs walked nearly four miles to the campsite where Garrett was staying with his family, alerting them that something was wrong, police said in a Facebook release.
Photo by: Baker County Sheriff’s Office
His family located his car the following day and called 911, as they couldn’t reach it due to the steep terrain. When authorities arrived, they found Garrett about 100 yards (91 meters) from the car after hearing him yell for help. He had managed to crawl out of the car after the crash, the release stated.
US Forest Service employees used chainsaws to clear a path through the vegetation for search and rescue teams, who set up a complex rope system spanning from one side of the ravine to the other. Once they reached Garrett, authorities placed him in a rescue stretcher and hooked it onto the ropes, using them as a pulley system to transport him to the other side of the ravine as a stream raged below, photos shared by the sheriff’s office showed.
Photo by: Baker County Sheriff’s Office
Baker County Sheriff’s Office published a photo of Brandon Garrett and his dog ‘Blue’ on their Facebook page.
He was airlifted to a regional hospital, authorities said. His three other dogs were found alive at the crash scene.
The police report reads: “During the investigation, it was determined that Garrett was traveling north on US Forest Service Road 39 on June 2 with his four dogs, when he failed to negotiate a curve, causing the vehicle to plummet off the embankment.
“One of his dogs traveled nearly four miles to their camp, alerting the rest of the party that something was wrong. Garrett was able to crawl approximately one hundred yards from the vehicle, where he spent the night.
“The rest of the party continued to search for him, and family members located his vehicle on the morning of June 3. The three remaining dogs were found alive at the crash scene.”
