California Man Survives 24 Hours Dangling in Wrecked Truck With Loyal Dog by His Side

SIERRA COUNTY – A Sierra County man and his dog have an unbelievable survival tale after being trapped in his smashed truck for about 24 hours and not knowing whether anyone would come to their rescue.

The accident occurred on March 4 when Daniel Higginbotham lost control of his pickup and fell off State Route 89 near Calpine.

“I was five miles from home, looked down at my phone real quick and before I knew it I was airborne,” says Higginbotham. “When I came to, I was basically upside down in my truck.”

He was caught behind his steering wheel and unable to exit his truck, which had crashed about 30 feet down the slope. He couldn’t call for aid because he had lost his phone in the crash. “I fought it for a couple hours and then I realized I was stuck and I wasn’t gonna get out,” says Higginbotham.

The truck crashed on its passenger side, leaving him dangling sideways with blood streaming to his brain and a crushed leg. He said he was in tremendous pain.

Higginbotham isn’t sure how long he was unconscious, but he remained vigilant until his final rescue. He was exerting all of his strength to raise himself up so that we could maintain his head erect and prevent him from passing out.

“The only thing that kept me going was thinking about my daughter.” “That’s all I thought about,” Higginbotham remarked. His dog, Junior, was in the truck with him when it crashed and survived. Junior climbed out the window, never leaving his owner’s side.

The truck crashed on its passenger side, leaving him dangling sideways with blood streaming to his brain and a crushed leg. He said he was in tremendous pain.

Higginbotham isn’t sure how long he was unconscious, but he remained vigilant until his final rescue. He was exerting all of his strength to raise himself up so that we could maintain his head erect and prevent him from passing out.

“The only thing that kept me going was thinking about my daughter.” “That’s all I thought about,” Higginbotham remarked. His dog, Junior, was in the truck with him when it crashed and survived. Junior climbed out the window, never leaving his owner’s side.

He spent nearly 24 hours wondering whether he would be rescued.

After enduring the frigid night, he believed all was lost and that he would never be found.

On Wednesday, March 5, a vehicle on Highway 89 noticed Higginbotham’s truck and contacted 911, which the California Highway Patrol described as a miracle. Rescuers arrived shortly thereafter.

“I heard someone yell out, ‘Is anybody in there?'” And I started yelling, ‘Get ’em, Junior,’ at my dog. “I heard him bark, and I knew he was running,” Higginbotham explained.

According to CBS13, Junior took workers directly to where his owner was trapped in the truck.

Following a challenging rescue, local crews, including the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office, used the Jaws of Life and a pulley system to transport Higginbotham up the embankment on a gurney. “At that point, I realized it wasn’t a dream, and I got saved,” Higginbotham added. “I’m kind of still in shock, I think, that somebody actually found me.”

Now he is on the hard road to recovery.

Higginbotham endured several back and leg surgeries, as well as fractures to his sternum, pelvis, and several ribs. He also experienced frostbite on several fingers and toes.

Unfortunately, physicians had to amputate his right leg below the knee.

“I’m dealing with it very well because I’m still alive,” Higginbotham admitted. “I don’t think it’s gonna slow me down after I actually heal up, I’ll be alright.” Higginbotham is currently healing at Plumas District Hospital after being discharged from the ICU. He is getting physical and occupational therapy.

On Friday, he got to go outside for the first time and practice getting around in his wheelchair.

Despite the life-altering injuries, Higginbotham is choosing to focus on what he has gained rather than what he has lost – the opportunity to experience life from a different viewpoint while telling his survival tale.

“You always have to have hope,” Higginbotham explained. “I should not be alive. You’ve seen images of the truck, where I was, and how someone happened to find me. I think it to be a miracle.

His family is using GoFundMe to aid him with his protracted recuperation, which includes obtaining him a new house and a wheelchair-accessible car.

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