Woman Stuck in Ravine Off Highway 17 For 7 Hours

A 61-year-old Carmel woman was rescued Sunday morning after she was stuck in a ravine off of state Highway 17 in Scotts Valley for seven hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Early Sunday morning after midnight, the woman was driving a 2013 Toyota RAV4 on southbound Highway 17 north of Mount Hermon Road, where she lost control of the vehicle, went off the roadway and landed in a small ravine, CHP officials said.

At about 6 a.m., the woman used her cellphone to call 911 to report she was in the ravine for seven hours but was unable to tell dispatchers her exact location, according to the CHP.

She informed dispatch that her leg was impaled by a tree branch and could not stand up or honk the car’s horn, CHP officials said. Officers searched for the woman with the help of firefighters and Santa Cruz County sheriff’s deputies, according to the CHP. The woman was found at about 7:30 a.m. and was transported to a hospital to be treated for major injuries to her left thigh, CHP officials said. Drugs or alcohol are not suspected to be a factor in the crash, according to CHP officials.

--Bay City News