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California woman rescued after more than 12 hours in crashed car

Posted at 11:48 PM, May 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-12 23:51:55-04

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — Her car tumbled more than 500 feet down an embankment and rescue didn’t come for at least 12 hours. But a California woman looks like she will live to talk about her harrowing ordeal.

The woman, in her early 40s, was stuck in her vehicle in remote Orange County for about 12 to 14 hours after she disappeared while on her way home Wednesday night, Capt. Larry Kurtz of the Orange County Fire Authority said Thursday.

Her husband became concerned Thursday morning and called police, Kurtz said.

According to CNN affiliate KTLA, the husband, who is a deputy in Riverside County, had worked until 2 a.m. When checking his voice mail he listened to a message from his wife, who had called him after the crash. It was hard to hear the message, which went in and out, but the husband heard her say something about Anaheim.

Police found her phone by pinging cell phone towers and California Highway Patrol helicopters found the car around 10:40 a.m. Thursday.

The woman was airlifted as a trauma case, Kurtz said, but her injuries didn’t appear to be life-threatening.

Authorities said her car went off a southbound toll road in Irvine and fell down an embankment.

The Los Angeles Times reported the road “offers a long, scenic drive in an unincorporated section of Orange County but has steep cliffs and, in some areas, no guardrails.”

The cause of the crash is unknown.