Highway 9 cyclists save UPS driver

Posted on February 9, 2012 by .
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A pair of cyclists riding downhill on Highway 9 spot an overturned UPS truck in a ravine, call for help.

Updated with more details. Thank you to Taylor for the additional info.

I wish I knew who the cyclists were.

Highway 9 is a fairly popular cycling route for road cyclists in spite of the busy traffic and narrow lanes. It rises from Saratoga, California in the foothills to provide dramatic views of Silicon Valley.



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It’s a fun, scenic ride, and it’s not uncommon for motoring enthusiasts to misjudge their abilities and careen from their lane. This apparently happened Tuesday, February 8 a little after noon, when a UPS driver lost control of his truck the driver of a red Corvette had more car than he could handle, rear-ended a UPS truck, and pushed the truck off of the road a little south of Highway 35. The truck tumbled 200 feet down the cliff below. A pair of cyclists coasting downhill saw the aftermath. Neither had a phone on him (wha?), so they flagged down a passing motorist, and then climbed down the cliff to help the driver.

The UPS driver — who, amazingly, suffered only bumps and bruises — was lifted up and out and taken away in an ambulance. Highway 9 was closed for seven hours as it took work crews that long to get to the site of the wreck and extricate the wreckage (and maybe collect packages) from the hillside.

Via California Highway Patrol dispatch and local radio traffic reports.



See also:

  1. Truck driver kills 2 cyclists in 3 years
  2. Big Sur Highway 1 – open to cyclists (sort of)
  3. SF driver targets cyclists in overnight rampage
  4. Driver tries to run down bicycle patrol


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  • Travis Taylor

    I’m grateful for the cyclists who stopped to help my aunt. They advised her to wait at the bottom of the ravine for rescue personnel, rather than climb out on her own.

    Just to clarify the story a bit:My aunt (the UPS driver) did not lose control of the truck. She was struck from behind while making a left turn onto Heather Heights Rd. The car that struck her was the red corvette mentioned above. The corvette attempted to pass her on the left just as she started her turn. He apparently did not notice her turn signal and thought it okay to cross the double yellow and pass in a curve. A small, red car in front of him had just completed a similar maneuver.

    My aunt is doing okay. She was released from the hospital the same day, amazingly with no broken bones, just a lot of pain, swelling, and bruising.

  • http://www.cyclelicio.us/ Cyclelicious

    Oh!

    Travis, thanks so much for the clarification, and boo on over-aggressive drivers who think they’re on a race track. I’m glad your aunt is okay!

  • http://twitter.com/murphstahoe murphstahoe

    Did the Corvette hit and run?

  • http://www.cyclelicio.us/ Cyclelicious

    The driver apparently stuck around – dispatch says he was parked on the right hand side of the road. But the calling party was somebody the cyclists had flagged down.

  • Travis Taylor

    Thank you for updating the post. I absolutely agree on the over-agressive drivers on Highway 9.  This story could have easily been:

    “UPS driver saves cyclist after an illegally passing Corvette runs cyclist off the road.”

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