Woman, 19, Drives Off Big Sur Cliff

A 19-year-old San Francisco woman died when she drove off state Highway 1 in the Big Sur area of Monterey County Tuesday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was driving her 2002 Mazda Protégé north on the highway south of Lucia at 3:25 p.m. when she lost control of the car and it rolled over the steep rocky cliff embankment on the west side of the highway, CHP officials said.

She was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the car as it rolled down the cliff about 300 feet to the beach, according to the CHP.

The Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade, personnel from the U.S. Forest Service and a CHP helicopter crew all assisted in the effort to recover the victim, the CHP said.

The woman’s body was recovered at 5:14 p.m. Investigators are still looking into what caused the crash and whether the woman had been using alcohol or drugs prior to leaving the roadway.

--Bay City News

--Shutterstock image

Also on Patch:

• Neigh or Yay? Horseback Riding Senior Asks Girl to Prom
• WATCH: 58,000 Tons of Bay Bridge Coming Down Piece by Piece
• How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
• Gov. Brown Orders First-Ever Mandatory Water Reductions
• Santa Cruz Climate Change Seminar