NewsLocal News

Actions

Ridgecrest man rescued after spending 5 days in a ravine following crash

"I got ejected and knocked out and I don't know, I think I was probably about 30, 40 feet from my car, something like that," said Smith.
Man rescued after spending 5 days trapped at the bottom of a cliff in Stallion Springs
Posted at 11:03 AM, Sep 07, 2023
and last updated 2023-09-07 14:03:32-04

BEAR VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. (KERO) — A Ridgecrest man is talking about being stranded in a ravine for five days after his truck went off the road and down a cliff.

Sixty-eight-year-old Calvin Smith says he was driving down a canyon road after dropping his son off at a doctor's appointment in Bakersfield. Smith realized his GPS was taking him the wrong way all the way down to Comanche Point Road near Bear Valley Springs.

So he tried to turn around but he didn't have enough room. His car rolled 100 feet down an embankment and crashed.

"I got ejected and knocked out and I don't know, I think I was probably about 30, 40 feet from my car, something like that," said Smith.



Smith is currently still in his hospital bed where he's being treated for broken bones including his collar bone, tail bone and three broken ribs.

Smith says a man named Corey climbed down into the canyon and found him giving him water and staying by his side until the reinforcements arrived.

"Let him know how appreciative I am of him, saving my life. That man saved my life."

Calvin's wife Dee Dee says that Kern County Fire Department search and rescue crew called her and let her talk to her husband when they found him. Going above and beyond to comfort them both through an awful ordeal that could have cost Calvin his life.


Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: