Van stuck in the sand

Monday, February 10th, 2025, at 3:07 a.m. (PT), we received a request for help with an offroad recovery in California. The requester, William Wood, submitted the following information: “I am driving a 92 Chevy van stuck in the sand no damage to the vehicle just stuck can you help please thank you / I’m 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 45-mile radius.

We had the request out to volunteers for about an hour. Around that time, Debi O’Connell announced she would be available in about 30 minutes and also shared the request with Thomas Gordon. Thomas immediately marked himself as engaging and was en route almost right away.

A few minutes later, Debi was also on her way. We later learned that the requester contacted Thomas while he was driving over to let him know he was finally able to free himself.

Although the volunteers didn’t end up connecting with the requester, we still want to thank Debi and Thomas for their quick response and commitment. You guys, as always, are amazing.

If you would like to receive a text message when we get a request near you, create your account here: offroadportal.org/signup