An Oregon man is alive today and it’s all thanks to his loyal dog. After crashing his truck in a ravine in a remote part of Baker County, the badly injured man’s pooch ran off to get help. That Lassie-like move led others to the scene and eventually a big response by the sheriff’s department, search and rescue, and firefighters.
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According to Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Brandon Garrett was expected at a camp where his brother was waiting on the afternoon of June 2, but he never arrived. Instead, one of his four dogs showed up at the camp, leading the people there back to the man’s truck the next morning.
As you can see from the photos, the truck was overturned and sitting in the creek. The ravine itself is rather steep and rugged, so the family members couldn’t climb down to get to Garrett. They called for help and a massive rescue effort launched.
Baker County Sheriff Ash was one of the first on the scene. He found Garrett, who opted to not stay in the truck but instead crawled about one hundred yards through the rugged terrain to spend the night out in the open. The sheriff rendered first aid.
With Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Baker County Search and Rescue, Pine Valley Rural Fire District, and Halfway Ambulance on the scene, first responders rigged up a pulley system and cut away trees to pull the injured man out of the steep ravine. He was taken by ambulance to a medical helicopter, then on to a hospital.
Thankfully, all four of Garrett’s dogs survived the crash and were also recovered. We’re sure recovering the truck from the ravine was no small task, although details about exactly how that was done weren’t disclosed.
Baker County Sheriff’s Office says Garrett crashed when he failed to make a turn in time. We don’t know if speed or distraction was a factor, but this is an excellent reminder as people are out recreating in the great outdoors during the summer that even on forest roads you need to obey speed limits and pay attention.
Images via Baker County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook