On June 3, 2024, Brandon Garrett was rescued after his car crashed off an embankment on U.S. Forest Service Road 39. Family members found his vehicle but couldn’t reach it due to rough terrain. Responders from the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Search and Rescue, and other agencies located Garrett and his dog alive in a steep ravine. Garrett was airlifted to a hospital after being rescued with a highline rope system. The three other dogs were also found alive at the crash site. The Sheriff’s Office thanked all involved in the rescue.
Press Release: Halfway Man Rescued After Car Crash Leaves Him Stranded Overnight
On June 3, 2024 at approximately 9:28 a.m., Baker County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a report of a vehicle over an embankment on U.S. Forest Service Road 39. The reporting party explained that his brother, Brandon Garrett, had not made it to his camp yesterday afternoon. Family members located his vehicle this morning but were unable to reach it due to the 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.
Members of the Baker County Search and Rescue Ropes Team set up their rescue equipment and began the difficult task of reaching Garrett. Once the team was able to reach him, they loaded and secured him in a rescue basket. He was connected to a highline rope system and pulled across the ravine, where he was transferred to a group of SAR members and medical personnel.
Garrett was transported by Halfway Ambulance to the Life Flight helicopter, where he was airlifted to a regional hospital.
During the investigation, it was determined that Garrett was traveling north on U.S. 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.
