SONOMA COUNTY – On May 19, 2024, emergency response 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 showed the accident around the Jewell Gulch/Myers Grade area on Highway 1 north of Jenner. A California State Parks ranger located the vehicle on a cliff approximately 200 feet down from the roadway. A large tree stopped the vehicle from rolling further down the cliff. The State Parks ranger climbed down the steep embankment to check the vehicle for occupants.

Not finding anyone in the vehicle, the ranger and additional emergency responders began an extensive search of the rugged terrain looking for anyone who may have been ejected or who escaped the wreckage. The search was conducted on the ground and by air.  Within approximately an hour, emergency responders located what appeared to be dirt that had been disturbed approximately 300 feet down from the vehicle. They continued to search down the ravine from the disturbed dirt. The victim was found in a patch of brush at the bottom of a tree. The victim was approximately 350 feet down from the wreckage and was critically injured.  He was rescued by air and transported to the hospital and is expected to survive.

“This is an example of terrific work done by emergency and first responder teams.  Never giving up, doing what it takes to save lives.  This type of rescue can be dangerous for responders and requires skill and concentration,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.