Halfway man rescued after car crash leaves him stranded overnight
By Joe Hathaway on Monday, June 3rd, 2024 in Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER COUNTY – (Release from Baker County Sheriff’s Office) 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 2 nd 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.
Baker County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Baker County Search and Rescue, Pine Valley
Rural Fire District, Halfway Ambulance, Life Flight and the U.S. Forest Service for their
assistance during this rescue.
