By Mary O’KEEFE

Once again members of the Montrose Search and Rescue (MSAR) team had a very busy weekend and, once again, iPhone technology helped team members find the victim of a car that careened over the side of the highway.

“It was a crazy weekend,” said Steve Goldsworthy MSAR, member.

It started on Friday when Goldsworthy arrived home after being on a search for a missing hiker in Monrovia. The hiker, according to Altadena Mountain Rescue, is Colin Walker who had been missing since July 15. He was not reported missing until that following Monday, July 17. He apparently did not tell anyone where he would be hiking; friends and family only knew he was in the Angeles National Forest.

Goldsworthy said they were able to trace signal from Walker’s cellphone to an area near Monrovia. His vehicle was found near the entrance to Monrovia Canyon, and several teams were assisting Sierra Madre Search and Rescue.

MSAR assisted but the hiker, as of press time, had not been found.

Goldsworthy returned home only to be called out about 10:30 p.m. on Friday concerning a report of an iPhone SOS activation.

“The [sheriff’s] desk plotted the location and it [showed] the [victim was] 150 to 200 feet off the roadway,” Goldsworthy said.

The over-the-side response included Los Angeles County Fire and MSAR. Goldsworthy, MSAR member Mike Leum and a trainee responded initially.

“When we were near the location a CHP (California Highway Patrol) officer flagged us down and said he could hear someone yelling for help in the canyon,” Goldsworthy said.

They went around a corner from where the iPhone GPS had placed the victim and Goldsworthy saw marks on the guardrail that looked like a car had hit it.

The vehicle had apparently struck the guardrail and then flew through the trees, about 10 to 12 feet above the ground, before landing on the steep cliff side about 400 feet over the side of the highway.

“The cliff is as vertical as you can get,” he said. “It was a horrendous crash.”

The victim had been thrown out of the car and had a head injury. Heavy brush prevented a paramedic from rappelling down from the LA County Fire helicopter so an open spot had to be located to get the paramedic onto the ground who would then hike to the victim.

Goldsworthy pointed out that was how hidden and difficult the area was where the car landed but praised how technology helped in this situation.

“A couple of years ago iPhone came out with a crash detection phone,” Goldsworthy said. The cellphone will signal when a vehicle is involved in a crash. In the fall 2022, that program was expanded to cover areas that may not have cell service available, like most of the Angeles National Forest. In those cases the phone’s program would notify an emergency operator via satellite phone technology. That is what happened in this case.

“When it [notifies] it sends along a set of coordinates; their accuracy is very good, plus or minus 20 meters. The car was exactly where the iPhone said it would be,” he said. “The fire helicopter flew over the scene and couldn’t see anything at night that deep in the canyon. The car was under a tree canopy that would be hard enough to see during the day.”

Leum and the trainee were able to go over the side of the cliff and made contact with the victim while they waited for the arrival of the paramedic.

The victim was transported to a local trauma unit.

Goldsworthy said the fact the victim survived the crash was amazing.

“This phone saved its owner’s life,” he said. “It’s a game changer.”

The team returned to the Crescenta Valley Station at 1:25 a.m. on Saturday and began preparing to go to their homes when they received another call.

“An alert this time on the Angeles Crest [Highway] about a vehicle over the side [of the highway] at mile marker 30. So we grabbed the keys and our gear, and off we go to this one,” he said.

The call concerned a male and female who went off a “low angle” cliff face. This vehicle over the side was easier for the team to access. The two victims of the accident were able to safely make their way out of the car. They were transported to a local hospital.

“Now it was 3:15 a.m.,” Goldsworthy said.

Team members began to leave but less than a mile from where they were there was another vehicle accident. This accident though was part of a Pasadena Police investigation. Part of the Crest is actually in Pasadena.

The team finally made it home to get some rest while preparing for what will probably be another busy weekend.

The hiker, Colin Walker, has yet to be found. Any information regarding him can be directed to South Pasadena Police Dept. at (626) 403-7297. CHP is investigating the two over-the-side vehicle accidents.

For information on MSAR visit montrosesesar.org.