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4h ago

Driver Dies After 500-Foot Plunge Off Highway 1 Cliff in Santa Cruz County

Investigators are assessing how the car went off the narrow coastal highway.

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A firefighter in a yellow uniform and helmet watches a CAL FIRE helicopter flying over the ocean, with a smaller inset image showing three firefighters on a cliff signaling to the helicopter.
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Overview

  • A vehicle went over a cliff south of Greyhound Rock Beach on Monday, falling an estimated 400 to 500 feet to a pocket beach below.
  • Two California State Parks lifeguards reached the remote site by running the shore and swimming through surf, pulled the driver from the water, and began CPR.
  • A CAL FIRE helicopter hoisted the patient from the beach to the roadway where care continued, but the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
  • CAL FIRE, Santa Cruz County Fire, San Mateo County Fire, Santa Cruz City Fire, CHP Santa Cruz, and State Parks lifeguards coordinated the rescue across land, sea, and air.
  • CHP is investigating the cause, with no determination yet on impairment and an autopsy expected, as the crash underscores how steep coastal cliffs complicate rescues along Highway 1.