Yuma, Arizona.- On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at approximately 3:22 AM, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) received a report of a single vehicle collision in the desert area of E. County 4th Street and S. Avenue 18 ¾ E.
According to Tania Pavlak, Public Information Officer with the YCSO, the driver called 911 to report the collision and seemed disoriented. Dispatch then lost contact with the caller. Deputies arrived on scene and found the vehicle vacant. During the initial investigation, Deputies found the vehicle had leaped over a canal and collided with a fence.
Pavlak said a search for the individual was initiated and multiple partner agencies assisted in attempting to locate the driver through rugged terrain. The canal area was searched thoroughly as it appeared the driver may have gone into the canal.
Border Patrol BORSTAR K9 arrived and began tracking the driver, alerting the officers to an overgrown area of thick salt cedar brush. After a slow and difficult search due to the terrain and thickness of the brush, the driver was found at approximately 12:58 PM. For unknown reasons, the driver had crawled approximately 60 feet deep into the salt cedar brush and was unresponsive.
The driver was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center in critical condition due to dehydration and collision injuries but is now in stable condition.
The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the National Guard, US Border Patrol, CBP Air & Marine Operations, YCSO Volunteers and YCSO Search and Rescue for their assistance with today’s rescue.