Brandon Garrett had been traveling with his dogs on June 2 when he lost control of his vehicle and careened over an embankment crashing into a stream. Miraculously, it had been one of Garrett’s dogs who ran four miles to alert family members that there had been an accident and help was immediately needed.
Garrett had been heading north on U.S. Forest Service Road 39 with his four dogs when he “failed to negotiate a curve causing the vehicle to plummet off the embankment.”
Brandon never arrived at the camp site; his family grew worried.
one of his dogs traveled the nearly four miles to the family camp, which alerted the rest of the party that something was wrong.
BCSO Facebook
On the Facebook page for the Baker County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), the office received a call on Monday reporting the accident. Brandon’s family had become concerned when he didn’t show up at the prearranged camping site on Sunday. Instead, telling the sheriff’s office one of his dogs showed up, which alerted the family that something wrong had happened. Family members were later able to find the crash site, but could not reach Brandon and the vehicle due to the dangerous terrain.
Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Baker County Search and Rescue, Pine Valley Rural Fire District and Halfway Ambulance responded to the scene. Sheriff Ash arrived and located the vehicle, along with a dog, in the steep, brushy ravine. As he was looking for an access point to the creek, he heard a subject yell for help. Brandon Garrett, operator of the vehicle, was located alive approximately one hundred yards from the vehicle above the creek. Sheriff Ash rendered first aid. Pine Valley Rural Fire volunteers and U.S. Forest Service employees used chainsaws to clear a path for Search and Rescue.
Facebook
The victim was located about 100 yards from his truck above the water; his other three dogs were with him. He spent the night in the brush before his family found him. The three other dogs were found alive.
Rescuers used chainsaws to clear a path and then used ropes to access Brandon and help him into a rescue basket to carry him to safety and a waiting hospital emergency helicopter.
As an update, the comments from the sheriff’s department page stated Brandon was banged up and suffered a possible concussion. He remained in the hospital for a few days under observation. Two of the dogs suffered broken bones, but are expected to make full recoveries and were treated at a nearby veterinarian hospital.
Sorry – we don’t have a photo of the hero dog.
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