An employee with the Oregon Department of Transportation was making a routine stop near an area infamous for encountering land slides. That’s when he noticed a car rolled on it’s side at the bottom of a 200-foot ravine along Old Siskiyou Highway in Ashland.
“I just happened to see the back bumper of the car and thought I would check it out.” said Doyle Summers, who found the vehicle.
Doyle Summers hiked down the steep embankment to the car which was approximately 150 feet from the road, and noticed there was a person inside. Summer’s called police saying he noticed the oil pan to the vehicle was cold. Indicating that the woman inside had been there, unconscious for some time.
It took medical personnel from several agencies including Oregon State police, Jackson County Fire District #5, O.D.O.T & Mercy Flights to retrieve the woman who appeared to be conscious before she was airlifted to a local hospital.
In a strange twist to Summer’s heroic tale, OSP Sargent Jeff Allison says the woman intentionally drover her sedan over the cliff, in a failed attempt to commit suicide.
Her injuries were immediately unknown but rescue workers say the recovery and Doyle Summers keen eye likely saved her life.
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