Park rangers rescued three people Monday evening after their car crashed down a 40-foot embankment along Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. The driver reportedly swerved away from a truck that stopped to view a bear.
Local photographer Philip Granrud was on his way to a trailhead when he arrived at the scene around 5 p.m.
"It’s a straight drop down. The car did go far enough down that you couldn’t see the car, especially through the trees," Granrud said.
Park Rangers responded a short time later. Granrud stayed for the entire rescue effort, which he said took about three hours.
"I’m not a technical climber, but I did notice that they attached ropes and pulleys to their ranger vehicles, and using the weight of the ranger vehicles they were able to rappel down this sheer drop-off and reach the victims in the accident scene."
According to a park spokesperson, two of the crash victims were taken to a local hospital by ambulance and one was medevaced. A tow truck later removed the vehicle.
Park Rangers also responded to several other incidents Monday, which is in line with the 2019 summer season so far. Park Rangers have seen a 40-percent increase in emergency and law enforcement related calls over last year.
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