Harrowing Rescue: Man Hanging By Seatbelt In Flipped Car

MARIN COUNTY, CA – First responders flew into action and likely saved a man's life this stormy week after a caller reported an upside-down car -- with headlights and windshield wipers still on, but with no idea if a person was inside -- was in a ditch off Lucas Valley Road in Marin County.

"There is no doubt this driver would not be recovering in the hospital, if it weren’t for the quick actions of this deputy and the fire department personnel," according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office.

Arriving deputies said they found the car "precariously off the roadway in a creek (and) hanging by a tree branch."

Once a deputy made his way down the embankment, he found the driver "inside suspended by the car’s seatbelt," the agency said. While the man was able to verbally respond to the deputy, communication was hampered due to noise from rushing creek water under the vehicle.

The deputy stayed with the driver until the Marinwood Fire Department arrived. Due to the position of the car, crews stabilized the vehicle by attaching straps to it and nearby trees. The deputy then broke a window and placed a harness around the motorist's torso so he could be extricated via a rescue line by fire personnel, the department said.

During the process, however, the driver stopped breathing. The man then was placed on a backboard and carried up the side of the creek to the waiting ambulance, where fire personnel continued life-saving treatment as he was transported to the hospital, deputies said.

On its Facebook page, the agency commended the citizen who initially called in the accident: "No one shows unless someone calls."

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