California pair’s SUV slides off snowy forest road SE of Bend; Deschutes County Sheriff’s SAR comes to rescue

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers came to the aid of two California residents whose SUV slid off a Forest Service road near Swamp Wells Butte southeast of Bend Thursday and got high-centered in deep snow and ice.

County 911 dispatchers got a call around 3:20 p.m. from a 20-year-old North Hills, Calif., man and his friend, a 19-year-old Woodland Hills, Calif., woman who were on Forest Service Road 1810 when their 2020 Subaru Forester went off the road and got stuck, according to Donny Patterson, assistant SAR coordinator.

The caller said he could not get the SUV freed and requested help, Patterson said. He advised they were unhurt and had food, water and plenty of gas to run their SUV until help arrived.

A Special Services deputy called the motorist and tried to drive to their location, but the depth of icy snow kept the deputy from reaching them. Deschutes County Sheriff’s SAR was activated and two volunteers responded in a tracked vehicle, Argo.

They reached the stranded motorist around 6:45 p.m., after nightfall, and brought the pair out of the area, giving them a ride to a nearby hotel so they could make tow arrangements the next day. The SAR members were back at the team office around 8:30 p.m.