PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A local couple went through quite the ordeal overnight after their car slid off the road and into the snow in Portland’s West Hills.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Lisa and Michael Silk’s car veered off near Northwest Germantown Road and Northwest Skyline Boulevard late Sunday — trapping them in the middle of the night.
“Our car got to a turn, and going 20 mph, it didn’t want to turn and it just slid straight into the side of the mountain,” Michael said.
Because of the snow and downed trees in the area, getting the couple out proved to be a challenge. The couple called a tow truck in the morning, but once the tow truck driver went out, he realized he couldn’t help due to the slush and fallen branches surrounding them.
After personnel from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Portland Police Bureau and the Portland Bureau of Transportation all attempted to reach them, WCSO was called in. WCSO bought their own vehicles out, including a rescue rig.
A local farmer even brought their tractor out to help move branches and other debris in order to make the rescue efforts easier.
It wasn’t until a Washington County Sheriff’s deputy heard they needed help and was determined to save them.
“They called us 5 minutes later saying, ‘Can you guys walk up here? Because we can’t come down to you,’ even though they had two chainsaws going, there’s so much debris,” Lisa explained.
To escape, the two trekked up the hill for an hour through fallen trees and icy snow to get to the emergency responders.
Ultimately, officials were able to reach the couple and WCSO then got them home safe by noon on Monday.
“As we got closer to them we could hear chainsaws and thought we must be getting close, and finally, he saw us and waved, ‘Are you the Prius people!?’ and we said ‘Yes! Haha, that’s us!’,” Michael told KOIN.
In total, it was a 12 hour ordeal, but the couple said they’re forever grateful to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for the roadside assistance.
No injuries were reported and luckily, the couple says since they were in their Prius, they barely used up any gas despite keeping the car running all night.