Technical Rope Haul Frees Motorist Trapped 200 Feet Over Hillside in North Fayette

Pen Hills, PA - Technical rescue teams deployed high-angle rope systems Thursday evening to extricate an injured motorist whose vehicle plunged approximately 200 feet down a steep, heavily wooded embankment.

At approximately 6:24 p.m. on September 24, 2026, the North Fayette Township Volunteer Fire Department (Company 209) and automatic mutual aid partners were alerted to Incident 819 for a serious single-vehicle accident involving a car over a hillside.

The Company 209 Chief arrived on scene alongside local police officers and emergency medical personnel, locating the vehicle deep in the tree line roughly 200 feet down a sharp descent. Responders confirmed that the vehicle's occupant was accessible but required immediate mechanical assistance to navigate the treacherous incline.

Firefighters descended the embankment with specialized medical and rescue gear while surface teams established an anchor and rigged a "Z-rig" mechanical-advantage rope hauling system utilizing a pre-rigged over-the-hill rescue kit.

Technicians stabilized the patient, secured the victim inside a rigid Stokes rescue basket, and attached the litters to the haul lines.

Operating in coordination with top-side haul teams, crews hoisted the patient up the 200-foot slope to the roadway, safely transferring the motorist into the direct care of awaiting emergency medical services for transport.