UPDATE 10:35 p.m. Wednesday: A UPS driver who became the object of an intense ground and air search after reportedly crashing his delivery van on Hunsaker Canyon Rd. in Lafayette Wednesday is believed to have made his way to the home of a colleague in Concord.
The unidentified driver is believed to be in phone contact with family and friends. It was not immediately known how he made his way from the crash site in Lafayette to the apartment of a fellow driver in Concord.
Police are hoping to talk with the man later this evening.
Original Story:
A Contra Costa County Sheriff’s helicopter and ground units are searching for a UPS driver reportedly ejected after his truck hit a tree in the 1900 block of Hunsaker Canyon Rd. in Lafayette Wednesday.
The rescue effort was mounted shortly after emergency services received a call for help from the driver who said he was using his failing cell phone to summon assistance. He told dispatchers he was making his rounds when he hit a tree and was ejected from his truck, falling some 60′ down an embankment in the steep terrain.
Searchers and Sheriff’s helicopter STARR3 combed the area without success for about an hour and ground crews, including a specially trained mountain rescue unit, remain on the scene at 8:08 p.m. The man’s delivery van was located and removed from where it had come to rest against a tree well off Hunsaker Canyon road.
The search effort, for a driver described as a Hispanic male in his 30s, is currently underway. The police helicopter orbiting the area for much of the evening has pulled away, but it was believed that rescuers were using drones to overfly the area in search of the missing driver.
Motorists may want to avoid using Hunsaker Canyon this evening as the road is narrow and emergency vehicles are trying to navigate.
Oh, poor fella! Keeping a good thought for everyone in this matter.
That’s my friend and coworker.
It’s pretty steep terrain up there.
I’ve delivered Hunsaker canyon.
Praying for you brother.
@Daniel – Thanks for checking in. Lots of people pulling for him right now. We’ll update ASAP.
Daniel, I hope and pray they find your friend. Keep the faith!
Need any help?
They’re still up there?
@Barbara – Yes. No air support that we can see but we believe some of the man’s colleagues have arrived to help.
Hope the find him soon!
How very strange that they can’t find him.
Wes that his regular route or was he unfamiliar with the area??
Odd
Hope he gets some help.
Maybe I’m bering too suspicious, but how is it that he disappeared from the crash site- where we were all worried about his safety and whereabouts – and shows up in Concord? Very glad he’s safe, but I think there might be more to the story.
@Greg – Morning. Yes, as we hoped to get across, broadly and without specifics, as this story developed it became apparent there were underlying motivations in play last night. We’ll say simply that this person has been contacted and is receiving care.
What does it cost to keep a search helicopter in the air for an hour and searchers with dogs etc in the field? When and how did this fellow leave Hunsaker and who picks up the bill for all those people who spend the night looking for him?????
@Tim – Uh, a lot? Actually, a lot… not to mention the diversion of resources potentially needed elsewhere.
I understand that people are concerned, but this young man is entitled to his privacy. His friend called the police, and he wasn’t arrested.
If he has “personal issues” – please be compassionate. We’re all entitled to respectful boundaries.
I just got a UPS delivery and asked the driver if he heard about this incident. His language and body language suggested that there is a back story here that he didn’t want (and/or had been told not) to talk about.
I suspect chemical and/or psychological issues. Certainly happy that no one seems to have been seriously (physically) injured.
He is a good man and friend of mine. Whatever the root cause of why he walked away I hope it is rectified. Knowing that his last conversation was with management that might have been why he walked
I am also glad this man was found safe after he initial concern (which he started right?) over his whereabouts and we’ll being. But I have to say that a large number of people dedicated their time and skill to locating him while he went to a see his,friend. At the very least he owes them a thank you.
Has anyone managed to figure out how this guy got from Lafayette to Concord?