Driver rescued after car goes down embankment in Buncombe County

A driver escaped injury after a vehicle went about 40 feet down a steep embankment and hit a tree in Buncombe County, forcing Fairview Volunteer Fire Department crews to cut a path through heavy brush and carry out a rope rescue.

The crash happened Sunday night in the Fairview area, and firefighters said the driver was the only person inside the vehicle. Once crews reached the car, they found the occupant unable to get out on their own and worked from the roadway down the embankment to reach the trapped driver.

Firefighters used chainsaws to clear brush, then brought in ropes and a rescue basket to move the driver back up to the road. The extraction underscored how quickly a single-vehicle crash in Buncombe County’s steeper terrain can turn into a technical rescue, especially in areas where cars can leave the pavement and drop into wooded slopes.

Emergency personnel checked the driver after the rescue, and the person refused transport to the hospital. No injuries were reported.

Fairview Volunteer Fire Department serves a 47-square-mile section of Buncombe County, part of a county system that includes nineteen county fire departments, not counting the City of Asheville and Asheville Airport fire departments. In a district that size, crews are regularly called on to handle a mix of roadside crashes, brush fires and other emergencies across hilly, rural roads.

The response showed the value of that local rescue capacity. With chainsaws, ropes and a basket, Fairview firefighters were able to reach the driver, move them out of the embankment and return them safely to the roadway without a reported injury.