Sacramento Boy Honored For Helping Rescuers Find Injured Dad Who Fell Off Cliff

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A Sacramento boy was honored for helping save his dad, who fell off a cliff.

Jake Pritchard, 11, was given a 911 Heroes Award from NFL legend Tim Brown at the state Capitol, the latest for his role in the rescue.

Ryan Pritchard fell off a 140-foot cliff while hiking near Lake Berryessa in January.

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"I don't remember exactly how I fell, how I slipped," he said. "The next thing I know, I'm stuck on my back in a tree."

Jake climbed down the steep terrain to his dad and grabbed his phone.

"At that time i was in cub scouts. so, at that point they were teaching us how to call 911," Jake said.

Dispatchers couldn't pinpoint Jake's location with the phone's GPS and Jake didn't know where they were. The California Highway Patrol brought in Solano County dispatchers to help. That's when trainee Breanna Martinez did some sleuthing and found Ryan on Facebook.

"And the first post was of him and the boys overlooking the dam, Berryessa Dam, and saying they were hiking at the Blue Ridge Loop Trail," she said.

When the pilots still struggled to find Jake, a 911 dispatcher told him to take off his shirt and wave it around, and it worked.