3 Girls Rescued After Truck Rolls Into Gorge

An air rescue team plucked three teen-age girls from a remote canyon north of Sylmar on Thursday night after the truck they were in plunged 200 feet off a mountain road, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said.

The three girls were passengers in a red Ford Ranger driven by John Wilson of Tujunga, said Officer Richard Obregon, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

Wilson, 22, lost control while driving on an unpaved section of Little Tujunga Road near the Pacoima Reservoir about 9 p.m. Thursday. After his truck rolled into the gorge, he climbed up the steep ravine and walked about five miles to the Wildlife Waystation, an animal preserve, to call for help, said James Sanchez, chief of air operations for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Wilson, who was treated at Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, held at the Crescenta Valley sheriff’s station and then released Friday on $10,000 bail, authorities said.

The girls, whose names were not released, were hoisted to a helicopter and airlifted to Holy Cross Hospital, where they were treated and released.

“They were checked for broken bones and bruises,” said hospital spokeswoman Maggie Cessar. “The most injury that one had was a scratch on her finger.” An emergency room nurse said it was “truly amazing,” Cessar said.