Pictured left to right: Platina Maintenance Crewmember Thomas “Dave” Britt, Supervisor Lonnie Swartout, and crewmember Ben Anderson rescued an injured man and woman who had driven off State Route 36 and tumbled 70 feet down a slope in the snow. Photo by District 2 
District 2 Public Information Officer
Just after 5 p.m. on March 1, Platina Maintenance Supervisor Lonnie Swartout was working on State Route 36 westbound, clearing snow on the roadway near Three Towers, east of the junction with State Route 3 in Caltrans District 2. It was 25 degrees and snowing heavily in the area. He noticed that the snow berm his crews had created earlier in the day had been driven through, and contacted dispatch. Upon exiting his vehicle, he heard someone yelling for help from down the slope off the highway and gave dispatch the update. He also contacted Ben Anderson and Dave Britt from his crew for assistance.
The vehicle was approximately 60 to 70 feet down the embankment, overturned on its side and lying unstable in trees. Anderson went over the side with a radio and reported two people, a man and a woman, who appeared to be in critical condition. The woman was downhill of the vehicle, directly in its path if it were to slip. She was not dressed in warm clothing and had no shoes on. Anderson made the decision to move the woman approximately 15 feet so she was clear of the vehicle if it were to move. Britt assessed the woman’s condition and gave her clothing to keep her warm.
The man was still in the vehicle, along with two puppies who were trapped in a crate. It was determined that the man would need to be extricated, but the crate with the puppies was in the way. Anderson was able to find some bolt cutters and free the dogs and make proper space for the extrication. The woman was unable to walk due to her injuries. Swartout worked to hand-cut a line for the woman to be carried out, and assisted Britt getting her up the hill. Swartout used his truck as an anchor for the vehicle during the extrication. Britt, Anderson and Swartout gave the victims various articles of their own clothing during the incident to help keep them warm.
Due to the weather, the California Highway Patrol, fire, and medical crews were delayed in getting to the area. Swartout, Anderson, and Britt rendered first aid and made critical decisions for at least the first hour until other agencies arrived. They also assisted with the use of the “Jaws of Life” for extricating the male subject, and remained on scene long after other agencies arrived, helping in whatever way they could. It is estimated that Britt and Anderson went up and down the embankment more than 10 times. Stephen Rasella from Platina and Chase Carpenter and Cordell Dilly from Hayfork conducted traffic control on the incident. When the night shift arrived, Josh Murphy and Charles Price assisted with clearing the roadway for the ambulance. All in all, Swartout, Anderson, and Britt were on scene in limited clothing for more than six hours.
If not for Swartout’s good eye, noticing the tracks through the snow berm, and the quick actions of himself, Anderson, and Dave Britt, the situation would have been far worse. They put their lives on the line and literally gave the shirts off their backs to help the victims of this crash.