Deputies rescue family, dog after car crashes down embankment

A family was rescued early Sunday morning after driving off the road and down a heavily wooded embankment on Crow Canyon Road in Castro Valley, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said.

The driver was able to phone for help about 2 a.m., but “was uncertain of their location due to heavy brush and could only provide Crow Canyon Road near Castro Valley Boulevard as an approximate location,” the office said.

After several units searched the area unsuccessfully, deputies contacted the driver on his cell phone and “utilized their emergency lighting to narrow down the search area,” locating him at 5363 Crow Canyon Road, the office said.

Deputies were then able to locate the heavily damaged vehicle, its roof partially caved in, which had gone some 150 feet off the road and 200 feet down the ravine. The family, including their dog, were removed from the vehicle and escorted out of the ravine, where medical crews were waiting to provide care.