A woman was rescued Sunday night from a slippery spot on a steep bluff in Orangevale along the American River.
The 46-year-old woman was hoisted up the bluff by Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters who tied one end of a rope to an ambulance and hauled her up the slope.
The incident began about 10:30 p.m. Sunday when crews were dispatched to a home in nearby Fair Oaks for an overdose report. However, when firefighters and Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, the overdose patient was gone.
After searching the neighborhood, they decided to pinpoint her location by using technology to receive a ping response from her cell phone, which was in her possession. Her location showed as the north side of the American River near Hazel Avenue, the location of the bluffs.
The Orangevale bluffs been the site of numerous rescues through the years as adventurers and drunken revelers have found themselves trapped on the steep hillside, unable to safely ascend or descend.
The arrival of the California Highway Patrol helicopter allowed its crew to use infrared technology to see the woman. She was on a ledge above the river in what was determined to be slippery terrain.
As fire crews responded, one of two deputies on the scene climbed down the slope to make sure the woman didn’t tumble further down the slope. She appeared to have rolled 70 feet before coming to a stop on the ledge, which was just a few feet above the cold waters of the river.
She was not responding to the words of the officers. Metro Fire rescuers, aided by Folsom Fire Department firefighters, began what is described as a “low angle rescue” using an ambulance as a rope anchor.
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