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Pregnant Woman Rescued After Car Plunges Down 80-Foot Hill

Emergency Crews Use Ropes To Rescue Her In Neshannock, Lawrence County

POSTED: 12:04 pm EDT October 21, 2009
UPDATED: 9:01 pm EDT October 21, 2009

A pregnant woman was pulled to safety and rushed into surgery at a hospital after her boyfriend's car went over an 80-foot cliff in Neshannock, Lawrence County.

Video - Watch Marcie Cipriani's Report From The Scene

The crash happened off Graceland Road shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday. Police said the driver, 31-year-old Dayna Griffin, was able to escape the vehicle and run to get help for 29-year-old Wendy Hake.

Wendy Hake rescue
Wendy Hake is pulled up the hillside by a rope while strapped to a board.

Police said a neighbor heard what he thought was a crash at about 5 a.m., so they think it may have taken the driver a few hours to get out of the car and climb the hill.

Another neighbor, Donna Robinson, told WTAE Channel 4 Action News that Griffin was confused and upset when he knocked on her door and asked her to call for help.

"I go to the door, and there was a gentleman standing there, and he said, 'I need help, I just climbed out of a hole.' He had no shoes on his feet, his socks were soaking wet and black, he had mud up to his knees, so you can imagine what the poor guy looked like, plus he was sort of out of it," Robinson said. "My heart dropped to my toes."

Neshannock Patrolman Shawn Hill was the first to arrive. He went down the hill to see what was happening.

"It was approximately 80 feet to the bottom of the hill. It was a steep embankment," Hill said. "Went down there, I did confirm there was a female in the passenger seat who was entrapped in the vehicle."

Within minutes, emergency responders were making their way down the hill to rescue Hake. Sky 4 flew over the scene and saw rescuers dropping tools down the hillside and using ropes and a basket to pull the woman to safety.

Hake was unconscious as she was carried up the hillside. Some who were at the scene told Channel 4 Action News that they prayed for her and the unborn child.

"They said she had two broken legs that they knew of, so she was in quite a bit of pain, I would imagine," Robinson said.

Hake was flown to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, Ohio. Currently, there's no word on the injured woman's condition.

Police are investigating to determine what caused the crash.