Vehicle Plunges Off Embankment Near Clayton

CLAYTON - A man had to be extricated from his vehicle after he plunged down an embankment Tuesday evening near Clayton, according to the East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

The man had to be airlifted to a hospital after the single-vehicle crash occurred at 7:02 p.m. in the 13900 block of Marsh Creek Road in unincorporated Clayton, Fire Chief Hugh Henderson said.

Henderson said fire crews arrived on the scene to find that a vehicle had gone off the roadway, down a steep embankment and into a creek.

The driver was still inside and had to be extricated.

He was then placed on a rescue basket that was attached to a rope and was pulled about 30 feet out of the embankment, Henderson said.

The man, who complained of neck pain, was taken to a clearance area and then flown to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.

California Highway Patrol officials said the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

-Bay City News Service, images via East Contra Costa Fire Protection District