Missing Woman Rescued After Cold Night in Angeles Forest

The search for a woman reported missing Sunday evening during a spring storm that brought snow to mountain areas ended Monday morning when authorities found a crumpled pickup and the woman in Angeles National Forest.

The vehicle -- a white pickup that was difficult to spot in the snow -- crashed about 200 to 300 feet down the side of a canyon off Angeles Forest Highway.

A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department helicopter team airlifted Tracy Granger out of the steep canyon at about 10 a.m.

Granger, 56, was taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital at noon in critical condition.

The woman suffered "pretty significant head trauma," said Deputy-Paramedic Tracy River.

The woman was missing for about 12 hours. She left Pasadena at about 7 p.m. Sunday, when she called to ask family about road conditions. She was en route to Juniper Hills, just southeast of Palmdale. Granger's family reported her missing at about 3 a.m.

A Montrose search-rescue team noticed tire skid marks on road and damage to the berm, River said.

"It snowed last night, and there was snow on the car -- it was very difficult to see it," River said.

Jason Johnson, the reserve deputy who discovered the truck said, "the fact that the vehicle was white didn't help any."

With severe injuries and cold weather, timing was critical.