Driver Rescued After Pickup Found Submerged in the Trinity River West of Junction City

Monday, 13 July 2026, 12:40 pm Kym Kemp Leave a comment

the GMC Sierra beneath the surface of the Trinity River after the solo-vehicle crash.Photo 3:

The GMC Sierra is completely beneath the surface of the Trinity River after the solo-vehicle crash on Friday, July 10.[Photo from the Junction City Fire Department]

A solo male driver escaped a submerged pickup and was rescued after crashing into the Trinity River west of the Junction City Store on Friday afternoon about 4:40 p.m. on July 10.

According to the Junction City Volunteer Fire Department, crews from their station were dispatched at approximately 4:45 p.m. to a reported traffic collision. After initially searching the area, firefighters were flagged down by a couple riding ATVs on the opposite riverbank.

From that vantage point, responders spotted a silver GMC Sierra completely submerged in the Trinity River. The driver had already managed to free himself from the truck but was found sitting partially submerged in the water below a steep embankment alongside the highway.

The silver GMC Sierra rests almost completely submerged in the Trinity River after leaving the highway west of the Junction City Store. [Photo from the Junction City Fire Department]

Junction City Volunteer Fire Department requested mutual aid from CAL FIRE and the Weaverville Fire Department to conduct a high-angle rope rescue. Firefighters placed the patient into a Stokes basket and raised him up the embankment so he could be medically evaluated.

Firefighters from Junction City Volunteer Fire Department, CAL FIRE, and the Weaverville Fire Department prepare for a high-angle rope rescue from the steep embankment above the river. [Photo from the Junction City Fire Department]

The California Highway Patrol’s Trinity River Area office confirmed to Redheaded Blackbelt that the crash involved only the male driver. CHP said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Firefighters and rescue personnel assist the driver after he self-extricated from the submerged pickup but became stranded along the riverbank beneath the steep embankment.[Photo from the Junction City Fire Department]

Junction City Volunteer Fire Department thanked the crews from CAL FIRE Engine 2456, the Weaverville Fire Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, and the couple on ATVs whose actions helped responders locate the crash scene.

Fire officials also reminded motorists to drive at safe speeds and remain sober and alert while traveling on the region’s winding roads and highways.