Crook County SAR rescues Portland-area couple after pickup slides off snowy forest road north of Prineville
It's agency's 8th rescue of stranded motorists this year
PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) – Crook County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue’s eighth rescue of motorists stranded in the snow so far this year involved a Portland-area couple who had been driving a pickup through snow drifts on Friday and slid off a forest road about 25 miles north of Prineville.
Crook County dispatchers sad coordinates of the call placed their pickup on the 2725 Road near McKay Summit, Deputy Andy Pearson said.
Eight Crook County SAR members responded, deploying with snowmobiles and the agency’s tracked side-by-side vehicle. Pearson said communications were managed by ham (amateur) radio from the SAR headquarters.
After they reached a staging area on the 27 Road, one vehicle continued on to check conditions, finding “the road was very icy and rutted,” Pearson said in a news release Tuesday.
Due to those road conditions, the tracked vehicle was deployed, with two members, and they found the pickup about two miles on the other side of the summit. Pearson said their pickup had slid off the road and was angled down into a steep canyon area.
The couple and their two dogs were brought back to Prineville, where they stayed the night until their truck could be towed out.
Pearson said that roads in the area were extremely icy, precluding the use of snowmobiles.
He said the pickup was in danger of sliding over the edge into a deep raving, making this the most dangerous rescue so far this year.
Pearson said the older couple “had taken the road over the mountain before and stayed in Prineville.”
"As mentioned in previous press releases, while traveling in the mountains during the winter, if you reach a section of unplowed road in your wanderings, this is a good place to turn your vehicle around," Pearson said.
"It is also highly recommended that you let someone know where you are going, when you will be back, and stick to your plan. Please take adequate food, water and warm clothing in case you get stuck, regardless of the road conditions."
