A Safford man spent a freezing night trapped in his van after veering off the side of a cliff while traveling down Mount Graham early Friday morning.

John Eugene Roe, 34, of Safford lost control of his van and overcorrected before spinning clockwise into a pullout near milepost 136 and plunging down an 80-foot cliff, according to Department of Public Safety Sgt. Dan Long.

The weather station at Columbine, which is about seven miles from the crash site, recorded a low temperature of 18 degrees. Long said Roe was traveling down the mountain in his 1984 GMC full-size van around 2 a.m. when the crash occurred. The site is less than a half-mile past the end of the paved portion of Highway 366 at the Shannon campground. A couple of people stopped at the pullout and noticed the van Friday afternoon at about 2:20 p.m.

Southwest Ambulance and the Safford Fire Department arrived on scene to extricate Roe. After the 80-foot fall, the van continued to crash through pine trees before landing on its wheels with the front two propped up on a tree, 200 feet from the road.

Roe was conscious with a significant head injury, according to Long. He said Roe also described having pain and discomfort in his lower extremities.

After removing Roe from his van and bringing him up to the pullout, he was flown to the University Medical Center in Tucson by a LifeNet helicopter. The hospital listed Roe as being in serious condition as of Monday night.

Long said Roe made a comment about his steering going out, but officers were unable to confirm that due to the extent of the wreckage. He said the department’s investigation was being wrapped up, and Roe could possibly be charged with failure to control his vehicle.