Driver Rescued After Truck Slips Down Ravine

A Napa County man suffered serious injuries when his water truck slid off a remote rural Napa County road near Saint Helena Friday morning.

Tanner Roth, 21, was taken to the Queen of the Valley Medical Center after he was extricated from the water truck, Napa County sheriff's Capt. Tracey Stuart said.

Roth was driving the truck that was spraying water in the area of 800 Rossi Road to keep the dust down around 8:30 a.m., Stuart said.

The road became slick and the truck somehow slid backward into a ravine. The truck overturned about 100 yards below the road, the California Highway Patrol said.

Cal Fire Division Chief David Shew said rescuers lifted Roth out of the ravine in a basket.

Firefighters had to cut trees around the overturned truck just to get to Roth, Shew said. The process took about two hours.

A REACH helicopter then flew Roth to the hospital. His condition was not available this afternoon.

Shew said the water spraying was part of an effort to improve road access on land that is being cleared for a vineyard in the area.

Shew said Roth might have been trying to turn or back up the truck when it slid off the road.

Roth was alert and talking while he was being removed from the truck, Shew said.