California Task Force 5 Search Team Doug Van Iwaarden & Sadie deployed with Orange County Fire Authority late at night on Saturday, June 17th, when a vehicle crashed into a Yorba Linda home.
A family of six lived in the house and were sleeping at the time of the tragic incident. The vehicle crashed and settled within feet of them but somehow, miraculously, three were sent to the hospital with only minor injuries. Sadly, the driver and his passenger did not survive the crash.
Upon arriving at the scene, Search Dog Sadie went to work to find children believed to be missing.
Doug shared of his partner’s performance:
“This was a call that we used Sadie on to clear the building after the accident because the kids were still missing. Sadie did a great job, and the kids were eventually located with another family member not involved in the accident. Sadie was able to clear the surrounding yards and structure of origin within 15 minutes. This allowed us to deescalate the rescue operations to both protect the structure and protect the other USAR rescuers working on scene. She was able to work past the deceased occupants and continue to search for the potential victims. I’m proud of the way in which she worked, and all the training that we have completed allowed us to represent the Task Force and the Search Dog Foundation in a good light.”
Our hearts go out to the families of those lost in the vehicle but we are grateful that the family within the home was pulled safely from the debris of this tragic accident.
We are very proud of Doug Van Iwaarden & Sadie and the work that they do.
Thank you so much for being part of the SDF family and helping to assure these teams are prepared for times like these when they’re needed most.