Colorado National Monument staff successfully executed a highly technical vehicle recovery from the base of Red Canyon on Wednesday, May 7th. A 120-ton crane was used to lift the vehicle out of the canyon some 320 feet below the edge of Rim Rock Drive.
The vehicle had been there since October 30, 2007, when a 57-year-old woman intentionally drove it off the road to commit suicide.
Two previous attempts to remove the car were planned but were canceled due to inclement weather.
The vehicle recovery operation began at 6:00 a.m. when the crane began its slow drive to the Red Canyon area of the park. Rim Rock Drive had to be closed to allow for passage and staging of the massive crane. National Park staff, Mesa County Search & Rescue Team volunteers and Girardi Crane Company staff descended to the base of the canyon, some on foot with ropes and some in the crane’s transport bucket.
The team on the canyon floor spent approximately four hours preparing the vehicle, securing debris, plotting the path for the vehicle along a steep rocky and treed slope and making sure the operation could be done safely for all personnel involved.
The car was dragged past rocks and trees with the help of the crane’s arm, then was fully attached to the crane and lifted straight up and out parallel to the sheer canyon wall. The ground personnel were then transported in pairs in the crane’s bucket up the canyon wall to Rim Rock Drive.
The crane moved slowly back down Rim Rock Drive and left the east gate at 3:00 p.m.
A happy ending to a highly technical recovery effort involving 20 personnel.
