Frito-Lay truck plunges 150 feet into river canyon in Northern California

A Frito-Lay truck plummeted more than 100 feet down a rugged Northern California river canyon last week — and miraculously, the driver walked away with only minor injuries.

The crash unfolded early Tuesday afternoon along the Smith River off state Route 199, the winding highway connecting Crescent City and Grants Pass, Oregon. The route, carved into cliffsides with dizzying heights, hairpin turns and sheer drops into the canyon below, lies about 350 miles north of San Francisco.

Curt Cooter, who runs Cooter’s Towing out of Brookings, Oregon, was driving his usual route around noon Tuesday when he came upon the wreck. The bright yellow delivery truck had landed in the granite-gray riverbed, far below the twisting highway. Despite the steep drop to the river below, Cooter told SFGATE,