Sierra County man trapped in truck overnight reflects on "miracle" rescue, life-changing injuries

SIERRA COUNTY – Trapped for nearly 24 hours in his crushed truck and not knowing if anyone was coming to his rescue, a Sierra County man and his dog now have an incredible story of survival. 

The crash happened on March 4 when Daniel Higginbotham lost control of his truck and flew off State Route 89 just outside of Calpine. 

 "I was five miles from home, looked down at my phone real quick and before I knew it I was airborne," Higginbotham said. "When I came to, I was basically upside down in my truck." 

He was pinned under his steering wheel, unable to get out of his truck which had crashed about 30 feet down the embankment. He had no way to call for help, having lost his phone in the crash. 

"I fought it for a couple hours and then I realized I was stuck and I wasn't gonna get out," said Higginbotham. 

The truck landed on its passenger side, so he was hanging sideways with blood rushing to his head and a crushed leg. He says he was in excruciating pain. 

Higginbotham doesn't know how long he was out, but he stayed alert until his eventual rescue. He was using all of his strength to pull himself up to where we could keep his head upright, preventing him from passing out. 

"The only thing that kept me going, just thinking about my daughter. That's all I thought about," Higginbotham said. 

His dog, Junior, was in the truck with him during the crash and survived. Junior climbed out of the window and never left his owner's side.

 "I could hear the cars driving by above me one after another," Higginbotham said. "I was banging my door panel, just making as much noise, screaming help. But nobody could hear me." 

He spent nearly 24 hours wondering if would he be rescued.

After lasting through the cold night, by the next morning, he thought all was lost and that he would never be found. 

In what California Highway Patrol called a miracle, a driver on Highway 89 happened to see Higginbotham's truck and called 911 on Wednesday, March 5. Shortly after, rescue crews responded. 

"I heard somebody yelling out, 'Is anybody in there?' And I started screaming, 'Get 'em, Junior' to my dog. I heard him bark, I could tell he was running," Higginbotham said. 

CHP told CBS13 that Junior led crews right to where his owner was trapped in the truck. 

After a difficult rescue, local crews including from the Sierra County Sheriff's Office got Higginbotham to safety using the jaws of life and a pulley system to get him up the embankment on a gurney. 

"At that point, I realized it wasn't a dream, I got saved," Higginbotham said. "I'm kind of still in shock, I think, that somebody actually found me." 

Now, he is navigating the long road to recovery.

Higginbotham had multiple surgeries on his back and legs and also broke his sternum, pelvis and several ribs. He also had frostbite on a number of fingers and toes. 

Unfortunately, doctors had to amputate his right leg from the knee down. 

"I'm dealing with it very well because I'm still alive," Higginbotham said. "I don't think it's gonna slow me down after I actually heal up, I'll be alright." 

After he was dispatched from the ICU, Higginbotham is now recovering at Plumas District Hospital where he is receiving physical and occupational therapy. 

Friday, he got to get outside for the first time and practice getting around in his wheelchair. 

Despite the life-changing injuries, Higginbotham is choosing not to dwell on what he has lost, but what he has gained -- a chance to live life with a new perspective while sharing his story of survival.

 "You always have to have hope," Higginbotham said. "I shouldn't be alive. You've seen the photos of the truck, where I was at, how somebody randomly found me. It is a miracle, I believe that." 

His family is raising money on GoFundMe to help him in his long recovery, including getting him into a new home and a new car suitable for a wheelchair.