Driver Rescued After SUV Plunges Off Highway 101 in Mendocino County

This article written by Elise Cox was originally published on Mendo Local and republished with permission.

A 73-year-old woman was rescued Thursday after her SUV plunged down an embankment along Highway 101 near the Howard Forest CAL FIRE station, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP officials said Bette Loflin was driving a silver Honda Pilot northbound when the vehicle left the roadway shortly after passing the station and careened down the steep roadside slope. Emergency responders located the vehicle and pulled Loflin from the wreckage.

She was taken to a hospital for treatment. A CHP officer who later attempted to speak with Loflin said she was unconscious and unable to provide a statement about what caused the crash.

A spokesperson for Adventist Health told Mendo Local on Friday morning that Loflin was not listed as a patient. Depending on her condition, the spokesperson said, she may have been stabilized and transferred out of the county for additional care.