Chattanooga, TN – Several agencies worked together on Sunday, December 14, for an hours-long response after a vehicle plunged off Signal Mountain, trapping the driver and requiring a complicated extrication and rope rescue.
The Signal Mountain Fire Department was dispatched at approximately 3:33 p.m. to a single-vehicle accident on North Palisades Drive. Chattanooga Fire Department and Waldens Ridge Emergency Service responded to assist. The victim’s Honda SUV had fallen roughly 300 feet down the embankment, and the driver was trapped with serious injuries.
Firefighters set up a rope system to reach the vehicle, stabilize it, free the driver, and safely package and haul her up the bluff. The victim was brought to Palisades, where an ambulance transported her to a hospital. By 7:39 p.m., all rescuers were back at the top with the patient under EMS care.
Units responding included Squad 7, Squad 1, Squad 19, USAR 1, USAR 3, Special Operations, Battalion 1 and Battalion 3 Blue Shift, along with Chattanooga Cave & Cliff. Officials praised the mutual aid response and noted that first responders worked under challenging conditions and dangerous cold to achieve a successful rescue.