The driver of a Sprinter van crushed in a rockslide in California on Friday is somehow alive, though in critical condition, after huge boulders turned the vehicle into a crumpled mess.
The slide happened Friday morning on Highway 18 in a place called “The Narrows” near Arrowhead Heights, California in San Bernardino County, the Drive reports. Looking at photos posted by the San Bernardino County Fire Department, this stretch certainly comes by this nickname honestly.
At least the van was merely crushed and not forced over the side of the road to a dead drop into a canyon. Hurray for life’s little miracles. This tweet does very little to improve my sense of ease on such roads:
The California Department of Transportation closed the highway in both directions to clean up the debris and crushed vehicle. CalTrans also closed nearby Highway 330. Both reopened by 1 p.m. The only occupant in the van was taken to a trauma center and is reportedly in critical condition, according to CBS News.
Landslides and rock falls are probably one of my biggest driving fears. I’ve written about driving through all sorts of natural disasters: floods, tornados, earthquakes, forest fires, and even volcanic eruptions. In each of those scenarios, there’s some wisdom to impart on how to travel safely. Clean out your air filter often when volcanic ash is in play, for instance.
But land and rock slides are different beasts entirely because there are no recommended safety steps to avoid being crushed by a giant rock other than, Don’t drive near giant falling rocks.” Sure you can be on the lookout for small falling rocks or gravel on the roadway, but it’s a crap shoot. Sometimes you have to do that driving, and you might never see your geological mode of death coming. Boulders can just look at your vehicle traveling along and think, “Oh, absolutely not.” It makes me appreciate living in the flat midwest so much more. We may not have stunning landscapes and gorgeous weather of mountainous California, but at least our risk of being flattened by fate is a tad lower.