A 62-year-old Oregon man was stranded in the woods overnight after his truck plunged into a ravine. He was later rescued after his dog ran 4 miles to their intended campsite, alerting friends and family that something was wrong.
Brandon Garrett, of Halfway, Oregon, was driving on a remote U.S. Forest Service Road with his four dogs on June 2 when he missed a curve, according to a press release from the Baker County Sheriff’s Office. His truck plummeted into a steep ravine in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, a 2.4-million-acre swath of federal land in northeast Oregon and western Idaho. Garrett was able to crawl about 100 yards from the vehicle, which had come to rest on its side in a creek at the bottom of the ravine. He spent the night there with three of his dogs. The fourth dog, a whippet named Blue, took off.
Later that night Blue showed up at the campsite to which Garrett had been headed to meet his family. They began searching for Garrett that night and were finally able to locate the crash site the following morning. Brandon’s brother, Tyree Garrett, spotted the truck only after searching specifically for spots that couldn’t be seen from the road. He saw his brother’s dogs near the truck, but got no response when he called Brandon’s name. “That just stopped my heart,” Tyree told the New York Times, noting that the weather overnight had featured pouring rain and cold temperatures. “I just, God darn, thought for sure my brother was gone.”
Unable to get to the truck because of the thick brush and steep slope, the family called 911. Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Baker County Search and Rescue, Pine Valley Rural Fire District, and Halfway Ambulance responded to the scene. Sheriff Travis Ash was searching for a way to reach the truck when he heard Brandon Garrett calling for help. While the sheriff rendered first aid, volunteer firefighters and U.S. Forest Service employees used chainsaws to clear a path for the search and rescue team, which rigged a highline rope system and a rescue basket to pull Garrett across the ravine. He was then transported by ambulance to a Life Flight Helicopter and airlifted to a hospital.
Garrett told NBC-TV affiliate KGW that he’s had Blue for about five years and is very grateful to the dog and all the human helpers who saved his life. Blue reportedly made his trek with glass embedded in his snout, another dog sustained a broken leg, and a third required surgery for a broken hip. Garrett was treated for multiple non-life-threatening injuries and released.
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