Driver Rescued From Vehicle 40 Feet Below Bridge

The Hawaii Fire Department was called upon Sunday morning to rescue the driver of a car that plunged about 40 feet below a bridge six miles north of Hilo.

Rescue personnel arriving at the scene at about 10 a.m. found a four-door sedan resting on its roof on the river embankment in the Puueopaku area.

Capt. Richard Sherlock of Hilo Patrol said the vehicle was northbound on Highway 19 when it swerved off the makai side of the road just before the bridge and went into what is apparently the Pahoehoe Stream gulch.

Sherlock said the investigation into the incident is continuing.

A bystander helped the driver, a 20-year-old Hilo man, out of the vehicle. He was prepared for transport by paramedics and placed into a rescue basket which was raised from the ravine using ropes.

He was then transported to Hilo Medical Center, where he is listed in stable condition.