Miracle escape for man in horror crash after dog walks miles on its own to get help
The dog traveled nearly four miles to help its owner get rescued
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A driver survived a horror crash into a steep ravine thanks to his dog who traveled miles on his 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 below, the Baker County Sheriff's Office said.
One of the dogs traveled nearly four miles to the campsite where the man was staying with family, which alerted them that something was wrong, Police said in a release on Facebook.
His family located his car the following day and called 911 as they couldn't reach it in the steep terrain. When authorities arrived, they found the man about 100 yards (91 meters) from the car after they heard him yell for help. He had been able to crawl out of the car after the crash, the release said.
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 were able to reach the man, authorities put him in a rescue stretcher and hooked it onto the ropes, which were then used 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.
He was airlifted to a regional hospital, authorities said. His three other dogs were found alive at the scene of the crash.
The police report reads: “During the investigation, it was determined that Garrett was traveling north on US Forest Service Road 39 on June 2nd with his four dogs, when he failed to negotiate a curve causing the vehicle to plummet off the embankment.
“One of his dogs traveled the nearly four miles to their camp, which alerted 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 3rd. The three remaining dogs were located alive at the crash scene. “
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