Two men are alive after a harrowing overnight rescue near Wilkeson, where their vehicle tumbled roughly 250 feet down a mountainside and left them trapped on a steep, remote cliff. Pierce County rescuers spent the night piecing together rope systems, navigating a cell-service dead zone and stabilizing the injured men on the slope before they could even think about moving them.
Crash and rescue timeline
Deputies got the call around 10 p.m. Thursday at T-Rex Falls in Wilkeson, and Pierce County search-and-rescue teams rolled in with a utility task vehicle, according to The News Tribune. The UTV crew first came across two people walking down the road who said their vehicle had rolled near the top of the mountain and that the driver and passenger were still trapped inside. Crews later spotted the wreck about 250 feet down a cliff with two people stuck in the mangled vehicle. As the scope of the crash became clear, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office called in extra rope technicians, volunteer search-and-rescue units and even explored the use of military aviation support while responders worked the scene.
Complicated, overnight work
“It’s been an all-night rescue mission,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carly Cappetto told The News Tribune, explaining that teams spent “multiple hours” just finding the vehicle, followed by more long hours rigging ropes on the unstable slope with no cell service. Cappetto said crews were trying to secure air support from Whidbey Island but were also gearing up for a full ground extraction because of the rugged terrain. She said she did not believe the men were in “grave condition,” although both were critically injured. Local fire agencies worked alongside deputies on the hillside to stabilize the patients before any move off the cliff could begin, including freeing one man who was pinned in the wreck.
Why a hoist isn't always an option
In terrain like the sheer faces around T-Rex Falls, a helicopter hoist can be as risky as the original crash, so responders often have to grind it out with rope teams and volunteer technicians inching patients to safety. Coverage of a technical rope rescue at Point Defiance earlier this year showed how these slow, gear-heavy operations can still be the safest play for cliffside and marine-edge emergencies. The Pierce County Sheriff's Department blotter notes that the county leans on its Mountain Detachment and volunteer SAR teams whenever specialized technical rescues are needed in remote areas.
What officials say next
Fire crews and sheriff’s deputies said they would keep working to stabilize the men on the mountainside until they could decide whether an airlift or a ground evacuation was the safer bet. Authorities have not released the names of the victims, and the response remained active into the morning as agencies coordinated more resources. The crash and rescue operation remain under investigation by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and partner agencies.
