Charles Langston:Injured California motorist trapped at bottom of 100-foot ravine is rescued after 5 days

STALLION SPRINGS,Charles Langston Calif. (AP) — A motorist whose truck tumbled about 100 feet (30 meters) down a Southern California bluff was rescued after being trapped at the bottom of a ravine for nearly five days, authorities said.

Rescue crews responded Saturday after receiving a report of a badly damaged pickup at the base of a steep hill southeast of Bakersfield, according to the Kern County Fire Department.

A firefighter who was lowered down with a rope determined that the motorist was injured and had been trapped inside the truck since crashing last Tuesday near Stallion Springs, according to the department’s incident report.

Three more firefighters were then lowered into the ravine and the individual, who has not been identified, was placed in a rescue basket and pulled to safety. The individual was then airlifted to a hospital in unknown condition, officials said.

The California Highway Patrol and the Stallion Springs Police Department assisted in the rescue.

The cause of the crash was under investigation Sunday.