Los Gatos: Students help rescue man who broke leg in plunge

An injured man was rescued early Thursday after falling about 10 feet down an embankment near the Guadalupe Reservoir in Los Gatos after a car full of college students found him, authorities said.

A group of friends in their late teens and early 20s was driving on Hicks Road near the Guadalupe Reservoir about 12:30 a.m. when they noticed a flashlight shining near the cliff, said Luisa Rapport, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Fire Department.

They stopped their car and discovered a homeless man who had fallen down the embankment on the far bank of the reservoir, Rapport said.

The man, whose name was not released, broke his leg during the fall and was stranded for several hours. He didn’t have a cell phone to call for help and instead used a flashlight in hopes of catching a passerby’s attention, Rapport said.

Rescue crews stabilized the man’s injury before using a rope to bring him up and move him to the other side of the reservoir, Rapport said.

He was immediately taken to the hospital.

The Santa Clara County and San Jose fire departments, Santa Clara County Sheriff ’s Office and Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene.

“We very much appreciate the group who took the time to stop and call in the emergency,” Rapport said. “Without their help, the injured man could have been stranded for much longer, likely overnight.”