Published Apr 21, 2026 1:56 pm
Crash and rope rescue on New Priest Grade in the Groveland area of Tuolumne County—TCFD photo
Tuolumne County, CA – A late-night crash on New Priest Grade this weekend resulted in two people being flown from the scene on New Priest Grade.
First responders, including the Tuolumne County Fire Department, headed to a report of a vehicle over the embankment around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday (4/19/26). Once on the scene, they located the vehicle approximately 200’ down from the roadway.
“A low-angle rope rescue system was utilized to retrieve two patients,” advised TCFD. The image box’s pictures show how the ropes were used to pull the victims to safety.
Both patients were flown to Valley trauma centers for treatment of their injuries. Agencies assisting in the rescue included Groveland Community Services District (GCSD), CAL Fire Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, MDA, CHP, PHI, CAL STAR, and Caltrans.
Written by Tracey Petersen.
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