Rivian rolled on the snow

Sunday, November 24th, 2024, at 12:17 p.m. (PT), we received a request for help with an offroad recovery near ZigZag, Oregon. The requester, Colton Kuhn, submitted the following information: “Grey SUV, 4×4, slid off road. About 5′ off the road, clear path back to the road. May need ability to anchor winch to a tree as there is snow on the ground. Desperately need help. This is the only photo I took of the vehicle and intentionally made it look as bad as possible for fun. Wish I took more realistic photos. I am about an hour away from the vehicle. Please call or text before heading over. Please text me a ham radio channel if you have one. / I’m not with the vehicle.”

Our administrator, Al Fontan, contacted the requester and verified the contact information provided, GPS location, and current situation before sending the request to local volunteers. In this particular recovery, we contacted volunteers within a 20-mile radius.

From the volunteers we contacted, Seth Popper immediately stepped up, offering to help and getting ready right away. I was also available but located a bit farther away, about 55 miles from the vehicle. Seth, on the other hand, was coming from Hood River, just 24 miles away.

Colton, the requester, informed us they were in Dee, roughly halfway to where the vehicle was located. They were also working on finding a flatbed, as they weren’t sure if the vehicle was drivable.

By 10:40 a.m., Seth was on the move. In the meantime, we received an update from Colton—they had found a tow service to retrieve the vehicle. We tried to notify Seth immediately, but he didn’t have cell service while driving. Unfortunately, he ended up driving partway before receiving our message.

There were a few hiccups in communication with Colton as well. After several hours, we followed up and found out the tow hadn’t arrived as expected. Thankfully, by 3:00 p.m., the tow service finally came through, and the vehicle was successfully retrieved.

A huge thank-you to Seth for jumping in to help! We’re sorry we couldn’t get in touch with you in time to cancel your trip, but your willingness to assist was deeply appreciated. It’s volunteers like you who make a real difference.

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