Chelan County sheriff’s deputies rescued a driver from the Icicle River after a crash and hit-and-run investigation late Jan. 3, according to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded around 10:15 p.m. to a reported non-injury collision near milepost 5 on Icicle Road in Leavenworth.
Investigators learned that one of the vehicles involved had left the scene.
About a mile down the road, deputies located the abandoned vehicle but could not find the driver.
A witness told deputies the driver had walked off the side of the road and was not seen again.
While searching the area, deputies noticed impressions in the snow that appeared to show the driver had fallen off the roadway and tumbled down a steep embankment toward the river below.
The driver was not immediately visible from the road.
Deputies developed a plan using rope secured to a patrol vehicle.
One deputy remained at the top of the embankment to control the rope while another deputy tied himself in and climbed down the steep, rocky slope.
At the bottom, the deputy located the driver trapped between rocks and partially submerged in the river.
The sheriff’s office said the driver was likely becoming hypothermic.
The deputy freed the driver from the rocks and assisted him back up the embankment.
The driver received medical attention and was determined to be hypothermic.
The sheriff’s office said the rescue was critical, adding that without the deputies’ actions, the driver likely would have died in the river.
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