(MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo.) — The Manitou Springs Fire Department (MSFD) rescued six passengers trapped in a car following a crash on US Highway 24, Sunday afternoon on Jan. 1.

Shortly before 5 a.m., MSFD along with the Cascade Volunteer Fire Department and Green Mountain Falls/Chipita Park Fire Department were called near mile marker 295 on US Highway 24 on reports of a single-vehicle crash that involved six passengers.

The initial call to El Paso County dispatch was from an Apple Watch crash notification, according to MSFD.

MSFD said its units found the vehicle significantly damage in a creek between lanes of traffic. The vehicle was only accessible through a steep embankment, stated MSFD.

After an extended extrication process with assistance from Fort Carson Fire and Emergency Services and the Colorado Springs Fire Department, the occupants were removed from the vehicle and transported to a hospital.

Westbound lanes of US Highway 24 were closed for multiple hours during the rescue and ongoing investigation by the Colorado State Patrol.