Woman survives 4 nights after plunging 100 feet off side of Mount Baldy road

By Dean Fioresi

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL) — A woman who survived the elements, including freezing temperatures, for four days after veering off a road leading to Mount Baldy last week was rescued on Sunday.

She told Los Angeles County Fire Department crews that she was swerving around a deer Wednesday night when she ended up driving her Ford Ranger off the road and plunging 100 feet down the embankment near Mile Marker 3.3 before she was found on Sunday.

Due to the thick brush and treacherous landscape in the Angeles National Forest, on top off the severe damage dealt to her pickup truck, she was unable to seek help.

A hiker spotted the truck Sunday afternoon, alerting rescue crews who found her still trapped inside.

“Most of the time they don’t survive because it’s pretty steep terrain,” said LACoFD Captain Ian Thrall. “She’s pretty lucky.”

They say that she was airlifted to a local hospital, where she remains in unknown condition. Rescuers noted that she was still able to speak when they found her.

She hasn’t been able to recount her story just yet, so many questions remain as to how she was able to brave the elements as strong winds and even some precipitation swept through the area over the weekend.

Thrall, who has been to dozens of rescues over the years with the department, says this is one of the few that has left him astonished.

“It’s been very cold up there and it’s been rainy. Temperatures have been in the 30s at night,” he said. “No one saw her go over the side, no evidence of tire tracks or anything on the road or on the side of the road. So, she was very lucky they happened to come by and hear her.”

The woman’s identity remains unknown, as well as the extent of the injuries she suffered in the incident.

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