Staff Reports
BONITA — A woman was seriously injured on Christmas Day after her vehicle plunged approximately 50 feet into a ravine off a rural dirt road in the Bonita area, prompting a multi-agency rescue operation that included air evacuation to a Tucson hospital.
The single-vehicle accident occurred around 1:32 p.m. on Dec. 25, near the intersection of Bonita Klondyke Road and Warbonnet Road, according to a Graham County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
The driver called emergency dispatchers herself, reporting that she was upside down in her vehicle and unable to get out. She complained of severe back and neck pain and later mentioned chest pain. She requested that dispatch notify her boyfriend about the crash.
Her boyfriend arrived on scene shortly after and confirmed the vehicle’s location deep in a narrow wash or ravine. Dispatch logs indicate a period of concern when the driver stopped responding for about six minutes, heightening the urgency of the response.
Responding deputies located the crashed gray 2006 Ford Escape inverted in the ravine. The driver was awake, breathing, and talking, but reported intense pain throughout her body, particularly in her back and legs, and uncertainty about feeling or moving her feet. Initial reports suggested she was pinned under the steering column, though it was later determined she was not mechanically trapped.
Safford Fire Department personnel assisted with the extrication, using a backboard to remove the driver from the wreckage safely. Lifeline Ambulance provided on-scene medical care.
Due to the remote location and severity of injuries, AirEvac helicopter services were called in. One unit was launched with an estimated arrival time of 20-24 minutes and landed in an open area near the crash site. The driver was then transported by air to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tucson for further treatment, according to Graham County Dispatch notes.
Investigators believe a medical episode may have contributed to the crash. The driver, who is at high risk for stroke and heart attack, told officers she felt a sharp chest pain just before losing control and has no memory of events afterward.
She was returning home from visiting family in Tucson, having left early that morning after a stressful holiday period. Road conditions played a role as well: recent rainfall had softened the dirt roadway. As the driver approached a left-hand curve, her vehicle veered straight, struck a berm, overcorrected, and went off a ledge without any signs of braking.
No impairment was observed, and the driver’s side airbag deployed. The vehicle sustained significant damage and was later towed by Nutcracker Towing.
The Graham County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation, with assistance from Safford Fire, Lifeline Ambulance, Graham County Search and Rescue (SAR), and AirEvac.
