Officials were able to extricate a driver out of his vehicle and up a hill Wednesday after he drove 200 feet over the side of a roadway in the Coachella Valley.
The accident was reported at 9:37 a.m. Wednesday on state Route 74, according to California Highway Patrol records. The driver was traveling westbound approximately a quarter mile from Vista Point when he crashed and was unable to open the vehicle’s door.
Firefighter paramedics were able to access the patient, who was initially assessed as having “minor injuries,” according to the Riverside County Fire Department. He was then hoisted to the road via a rope system.
Once the man reached the highway, he was evaluated for “moderate injuries,” the department said in an update.
A helicopter landed nearby and was used to airlift the man to a local hospital, CHP officer Rafael Espinoza told City News Service. Traffic lanes in both directions were shut down for more than two hours, reopening by 12:10 p.m.
Authorities decided to postpone vehicle recovery efforts until a later time, according to CHP records.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident, Espinoza said.