400 Feet Down: The Miraculous Survival of a Driver Who Plunged Off Highway 550 Near Ouray

Early on the morning of April 25, a vehicle left Highway 550 near mile marker 89 and didn't stop for about 400 feet. That's a long way down one of Colorado's most unforgiving canyon corridors.

The driver was the only person in the vehicle and, somewhat miraculously, walked away with relatively minor injuries. The catch? Walking out wasn't an option.

The crash happened on a steep stretch that most drivers don't think twice about.

Getting to the Patient Wasn't Simple

Ouray County EMS and Ouray Fire were first on scene. Before anyone could even reach the patient, crews had to fix a handline just to give EMS safe access down the embankment.

Once they got to the patient and started treatment, an Ouray Mountain Rescue Team member was lowered down to begin rigging.

Then Came the Actual Rescue

Getting someone 400 feet back up a scree slope isn't exactly a quick operation.

The team packaged the patient in a litter and ran a scree evacuation using a truck with a boom, a winch, two 600-foot ropes, and three litter attendants, with Ouray Fire members pulling their weight on the raise the whole way up.

The patient was handed off to EMS at the top.

Read More: Colorado Is Home to Some of the Most Dangerous Roads in the U.S.

This is what Ouray Mountain Rescue Actually Does

Not every rescue makes the news, but this one's a solid reminder of what it takes to operate in the San Juan Mountains.

Big thanks to the Ouray Sheriff's Department, Ouray County EMS, and Ouray Fire for making this the kind of operation that ends well.