DCSO Search and Rescue comes to the aid of Redmond family whose pickup got stuck in 3 feet of snow south of Bend
We encourage people to be prepared for the outdoors'
BE'ND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue came to the aid Sunday evening of a stranded Redmond family – two women, two young kids and three dogs – whose pickup truck got stuck in three feet of snow on China Hat Road, about 30 miles southeast of Bend.
The sheriff’s office got the report around 6:15 p.m. from a caller who said they didn’t know the stranded family and had tried to help them but were unable to get their 2007 Dodge Ram freed, having no shovels, tow straps or recovery gear at hand, Special Services Lieutenant Ty Rupert said Monday.
The two women, 28 and 22, were accompanied by a 6-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl, along with the three dogs, in a vehicle stuck at a location where it was snowing and about 18 degrees, Rupert said.
The lieutenant noted that the stranded family had no cellphone service and no food or water with them. And the reporting party didn’t know their exact location.
A Special Services deputy tried to call and send the family text messages to “please remain with your vehicle, stay warm, we are on the way,” but was unsuccessful, the lieutenant said. A cellphone location ping was conducted but was unable to help in this case.
DCSO Search and Rescue was activated and two SAR teams, consisting of a total of three volunteers and a deputy, responded to the China Hat location with a tracked rescue vehicle and a tracked Polaris ranger. They deployed in the tracked vehicles near milepost 24 of China Hat Road, Rupert said.
Shortly after 7 p.m., the SAR volunteers reported they had located the family in their stuck vehicle, “cold but reported to be healthy and uninjured,” Rupert said.
The family and pets were provided with food and water, then loaded into the heated tracked rescue vehicle and brought to an awaiting transport vehicle on China Hat Road. They were then provided a courtesy trip to their home in Redmond.
“We encourage people to be prepared for the outdoors and make sure you have food, clothing and equipment for the environment that your adventuring in,” Rupert told NewsChannel 21, when we asked how others could avoid winding up in similar situations.
