Police Say OnStar Mistakes Delayed Rescue Of Woman Trapped In San Jose Ravine For 19 Hours
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) -- The family of a woman rescued 19 hours after she drove into a ravine in the East San Jose foothills thanked rescuers for finding her Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, questions are being raised about the OnStar system in the woman's car after it led crews to the wrong locations.
According to authorities, Melissa Vasquez was driving along Mount Hamilton Road Monday afternoon when her car went down a 500 foot ravine.
"We all just want her to be okay, and we're just here to support her mom, and we're here to support our family together right now. That's all we have to say," said Stephanie Valdez, the woman's cousin.
After 19 hours of searching, rescuers found Vasquez and her car down the ravine. Vasquez had injuries on her leg and stomach and is currently recovering at Regional Medical Center in San Jose.
The California Highway Patrol has started its investigation, trying to piece together why the woman's Chevy Cruze sedan went down the 500-foot ravine.
While Vasquez's family thanked rescuers and OnStar for finding her, police told KPIX 5 that the car system led rescuers to locations miles away from where she was found.
The search for Vasquez began around 2 p.m. Monday. Campbell police said OnStar alerted them the Chevy Cruze was overturned in San Jose at Camden Avenue and Highway 17. Two hours later, the alert switched locations, to Downtown San Jose.
It took an officer's good old detective work to find the car off Mount Hamilton Road. The officer guessed the woman's iPad code, then launched the Find my iPhone application to locate the car and Vasquez.
An OnStar spokesperson told KPIX 5 that the company is saddened by the incident and that they are conducting a complete investigation.
