Girl Hikes 7 Miles to Find Help for 2 Badly Injured Men

A 17-year-old Saugus girl hiked barefoot for seven miles through rugged terrain after the Jeep she was traveling in plummeted 500 feet off the side of a road, killing one teen-ager and critically injuring two men, Los Angeles County fire officials said Sunday.

The girl, Shannon Callahan, escaped the fall with only minor injuries and after hiking for two hours in the dark was able to direct fire officials to the site of the accident in Saugus, said Mark Savage, a Fire Department spokesman.

Her efforts “might have made all of the difference in the world” to the survivors’ chances, Savage said. One of the victims “had severe head injuries where time was definitely against him,” Savage said.

Larrisa Cox, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene, said California Highway Patrol Officer Carolyn Edwards.

William Becker, 20, of Newhall and Kevin MacDonald, 20, of Saugus were taken to Henry Mayo Hospital in critical condition.

A fire, apparently started by one of the victims to signal for help, spread to nearby brush, leaving two acres charred and complicating rescue efforts, Savage said.

The accident occurred about 1:15 a.m. Sunday as the Jeep was traveling north on a remote fire access road, five miles north of Copper Hill Drive and Haskell Canyon Road, Edwards said.

The road veered in a northwest direction, but the driver continued north onto a side access road that ended abruptly, she said.

“Upon reaching the end of the road the vehicle went over the hillside, overturning several times,” Edwards said.

The Jeep landed on its wheels 500 feet below and Callahan hiked to a residence on Deodar Place where she called for help, Savage said.

About 10 county fire units, 100 personnel and two helicopters battled the blaze and worked on the rescue.

“We had very steep, rugged terrain and heavy brush with a two-acre brush fire,” Savage said. “It was quite an involved rescue.”

Rescuers hiked down an embankment and treated Becker and MacDonald, but because the brush was so thick, firefighters then had to cut a path through it to carry the injured to a spot where the helicopter could land. The two were then airlifted to the hospital.

Hospital officials would not release information on the condition of the two men at the request of their families, a spokeswoman said. Callahan could not be reached for comment.

Firefighters put out the blaze in about two hours, Savage said. There were no injuries from the fire and no structures were damaged or threatened.