A California man was rescued from the side of a cliff Tuesday, two days after he got trapped after rolling off the road in an attempt to avoid hitting some deer.
The rescued man, who was not named by authorities, left his workplace at the Post Ranch hotel in Big Sur, California, at about 11:30 p.m. local time Sunday and never arrived home, the California Highway Patrol Coastal Division Air Operations team said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
The driver told CHP that, while driving home, he swerved to avoid hitting multiple deer, inadvertently rolled off the roadway, and got ejected from his car’s sunroof.
The car, CHP said, was not visible from the road. The air team was dispatched at 8:30 a.m. local time Tuesday to look for the car, eventually spotting the driver 400 feet below California State Route 1 waving a makeshift flag.
CHP also posted video of their aircraft spotting and rescuing the unnamed driver.
On Tuesday February 27th, 2024, at approximately 0830, the Coastal Division Air Operations Unit received a call from Pacific Grove Police Dispatch, requesting H-70 fly the coastline from Post Ranch in Big Sur to Monastery Beach in Carmel to search for a possible vehicle over the side. It was reported that an employee from Post Ranch in Big Sur left work at approximately 2330 hours on Sunday night and never arrived home. The CHP Airplane (A-71) was already in Monterey County for a separate call and responded to the area to search the cliffs below Hwy 1. A-71 arrived approximately 20 minutes after the request and located a vehicle approximately 400 feet over the side near the beach below. A solo male was standing next the vehicle franticly waving a makeshift flag at A-71. H-70 responded from Paso Robles and arrived overhead approximately 40 minutes later. The Big Sur Fire Chief top roped down to the victim and began to assess his injuries as H-70 arrived. The driver stated that while driving home late Sunday night, he swerved to miss some deer in the roadway causing him to veer off the roadway and roll several hundred feet down the cliffs edge. The driver reported that he was ejected through the sunroof as his car rolled down the hillside. There is no beach access or trails at the collision site, nor was the vehicle visible from the roadway. H-70 hoisted the victim and the Big Sur Fire Chief from the crash site and flew the driver to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas for further treatment and care. A-71 was instrumental in finding the crash site and reporting the location to H-70 for rescue. Even though the victim had been over the side for two days, he appeared to be stable and suffered moderate injuries. CHP – Monterey Big Sur Fire Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Trisha Butcher CHP – Air Operations California State Parks CHP – Coastal Division
Posted by CHP – Coastal Division Air Operations on Wednesday, February 28, 2024
The driver had “moderate injuries” that authorities did not specify, and he was flown from the scene for medical treatment.