Caltrans employees help rescue Mendocino County woman, dogs stranded overnight after snowy crash

A Mendocino County woman and her four dogs, who were trapped after a Nov. 2 car crash in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains, are safe thanks to some keen-eyed Caltrans employees.

Tina Milberger, of Ukiah, was traveling Nov. 2 along State Route 32 northeast of Chico with her canine companions when her vehicle left the road, overturned and went down a steep embankment around 11:30 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol’s Susanville office.

Milberger was trapped upside down in the vehicle overnight.

On its Facebook page, Caltrans District 2 says maintenance employees Vic Baccala and Chuck Braswell discovered Milberger’s car tracks while plowing snow around 4 a.m. Nov. 3. The two stopped and searched the embankment with a bright light and, after hearing Milberger's car horn, called 911.

Emergency personnel were able to lift Milberger and three of her dogs up the 130-foot embankment with a rope system. She was then airlifted to Enloe Medical Center in Chico with suspected major injuries.

Caltrans reported that another maintenance employee, Shannon Kenyon, learned of one of Milberger’s dogs was still missing in the aftermath of the crash. After three days of visiting the crash site, Kenyon discovered the dog, Macho, according to Caltrans.

“I walked over to the edge and I yelled ‘Macho,’” Kenyon said. “I walked to where I could see down the hill and I saw something red move. I took a leap of faith, grabbed my gloves, and headed down the mountain.”

Kenyon found Macho scared and growling at the bottom of the embankment and spent several minutes gaining Macho’s trust.

“I just remember saying to him, ‘You’re going to have to trust me. You have to trust me. You have to get out of here, you can’t stay here,’” Kenyon said. “So I reached out, put my arms around him and he let me pick him up, he just leaned into me and up the hill I went with this 40-plus pound dog.”

Macho was reunited with Milberger the next day in what Caltrans said was an emotional scene.