A Harrowing Recovery, Like a Horror Movie

By George L. Nitti A violent crash in El Paso, Texas left a vehicle 100 feet down a basement ravine, requiring a highly coordinated recovery from Chacon Towing in an operation made even more extraordinary by the driver’s injuries. 

Joshua Chacon with Chacon Towing said, “So we got called out on January 19th at approximately 4:30 AM for a vehicle that was about 100 feet down into a basement ravine.” 

Dispatch had already indicated the severity. “El Paso Police Dispatch did advise us that the vehicle needed a heavy to extract the vehicle due to the extent of the damage and situation,” he said. “So as we get there, fire is there, EMS, EPPD.” 

The crash itself was chaotic. “The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed… he lost control, went up into a brick wall… went airborne… into the first story building… bounced back out, hit the rock wall… bounced back into the building, bounced back out and landed on the other side of the building sideways,” recounted Chacon.

When first responders located the driver, the scene grew even more harrowing. “They locate the individual… he is breathing and he is conscious,” Chacon said. “They are having to give him a blood transfusion due to the amount of blood that he has lost.” 

During extraction, an unusual and shocking discovery emerged. “As they extract him out of the vehicle, they realize he has lost his leg,” Chacon conveyed. “We moved the vehicle to figure out if his leg is anywhere… well his leg is nowhere to be found. One of the fire department firefighters shine their light on the first story window… and his leg was hanging out of that window. We have no idea how his leg got cut off and stayed in the first floor.” 

Even with the shocking discovery of the driver’s missing leg, the recovery of the vehicle itself presented a challenge. The car had come to rest wedged between a building, a tree, and an embankment topped by a guardrail. Chacon Towing carefully staged the scene to avoid further damage, using precise lifts and winching to maneuver the vehicle over the obstacles. The team carefully selected lift points along the vehicle’s front and rear axles, gradually winching it upward. They extended the booms fully to guide it safely over the guardrail before lowering it back onto level ground.

Two trucks were deployed to manage the complex lift: a 16‑ton Century mounted on a 2023 International chassis and a 35‑ton Jerr Dan on a 2019 Peterbilt . Using both units allowed the team to lift evenly and avoid snagging, ensuring a controlled recovery in a highly confined space. 

“This was like a movie scene. I have never seen in my life,” Chacon said, reflecting on the entire accident. “I have never heard of somebody losing their leg and their leg staying in the first floor of a building while his body is in the vehicle in the basement floor.” 

Despite the chaos, there was relief. “God was with him. He did survive and till this day, he is still in the hospital, but he is breathing on his own and recovering,” he said. 

For Chacon Towing, the incident underscores not only the technical nature of heavy recovery work, but how unpredictable and extreme some  situations can be.