- - Trapped Couple Saved as Strangers Form Human Chain to Stop SUV from Plunging Off Highway Ledge on Christmas

Dave QuinnDecember 30, 2025 at 6:17 PM

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Air Force Staff Sgt. Ruben Tala led a rescue on Christmas after witnessing an SUV teetering off a steep embankment

A group of good Samaritans formed a human chain to stabilize the vehicle and save a couple and their two dogs

Tala credited his military training and downplayed his heroism, saying it was his duty to help

A terrifying Christmas Day crash on a snow-slick Northern California highway turned into a life-saving rescue mission as a couple and their two dogs were trapped in an SUV hanging off a steep embankment.

The dramatic moment unfolded on Thursday, Dec. 25 along U.S. Route 50, a notoriously hazardous mountain roadway, as a powerful winter storm swept through the region, according to reporting from multiple outlets including KCRA, Good Morning America and NBC News.

Dashcam and bystander video captured the SUV spinning out of control and sliding off the road, before coming to rest against a tree, teetering hundreds of feet above the slope below. Within seconds, Air Force Staff Sgt. Ruben Tala, who had been driving behind the vehicle with his family, leapt into action.

Yvett Banares-Tala

"When I saw the car spin out, I thought about my wife and my daughter," Tala told KCRA. "What if there’s a family in that car? Somebody has to help."

"The only thing I had in mind is to rescue those passengers," he added, to GMA.

Tala, who KCRA reported is stationed at Travis Air Force Base, said his military training and adrenaline immediately kicked in.

Video showed Tala running towards the wreck moments after the car spun out, shouting for help as he worked out how to pull the occupants to safety.

"When I assessed the situation, I saw, ‘I've got to get the car stabilized first before extracting the passengers for safety,' " he said to GMA.

"I yelled, 'Do you have any rope? I need some rope,' " he recalled telling other passengers who had also stopped, while recounting the incident to KCRA. "One guy ran back to his truck and gave me a rope. The other three guys, they were holding my hands, trying to keep the car from moving."

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Yvett Banares-Tala

Several good Samaritans quickly joined him, forming a human chain to stabilize the vehicle, which was wedged against a fallen tree — the only thing preventing it from plummeting down the mountainside.

At one point, Tala held onto the driver’s door as others anchored him from behind to prevent the SUV from shifting.

"One wrong move, he can be with that car tumbling all the way down the slope," Tala’s wife, Yvette Bañares-Tala, told KCRA.

KCRA 3/YouTube

Yvette Bañares-Tala and Air Force Staff Sgt. Ruben Tala

Working together, the group managed to extract the driver and his wife. No serious injuries were reported, according to NBC News.

"The driver is really thankful," Tala said. "His wife was still in a state of shock at that time. She was holding her two dogs."

In a striking coincidence, one of the rescued dogs shared a name with Tala’s young daughter. "One of her dogs’ names is Luna, which is my daughter’s name,” he said to KCRA. “How about the coincidence, right?”

Tala and his family had been traveling toward Lake Tahoe when the crash happened, part of a holiday journey disrupted by the storm, which caused multiple accidents and road closures across the region.

Despite being hailed as a hero by those he helped — and by viewers who later saw the footage — Tala downplayed his actions. "I’m just doing my part to help somebody else,” he said to KCRA. "That’s how we’re trained in the Air Force. We help somebody when they need help, no matter the situation."

According to KCRA, the rescued couple declined to be interviewed but said they are grateful to be alive and able to continue their holiday together.

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