Driver rescued from Lewis River after crash

Firefighters used heavy rescue equipment to rescue a driver of a pickup that crashed down a 50-foot cliff in swift water Sunday night. Emergency personnel were notified of a crash at 19700 Northeast Lucia Falls Road at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday night, according to Clark County Fire District 3. Clark County Fire District 13 and North Country Emergency Medical Service also responded. The pickup had hit a tree, tumbled down a 50-foot cliff and landed on its wheels in about 3 feet of swift water, which was about 10 feet from the bank of the Lewis River, according to the fire district. Crews used a rope system to access the single injured occupant, but called for assistance. A heavy rescue team from the Vancouver Fire Department and a technical rescue team from Clark County Fire District 6 responded to assist. Crews used the Jaws of Life to remove the roof of the truck to access the patient, then used special equipment and a rope system to safely haul him up the cliff to a waiting ambulance, according to Clark County Fire District 3. The driver was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center though the condition of the driver was not known. Seventeen fire personnel worked for more than two hours in the challenging conditions to rescue the patient.