Crime & Safety

Firefighters Rescue Driver Who Went Over Cliff at Crystal Cove

A driver is alive today thanks to the work of firefighters who rescued him after his car went over a cliff and landed on it's side.

Newport Beach firefighters executed a dramatic rescue Thursday when they saved a man whose car flew off a steep embankment at Crystal Cove State Park.

The accident occurred at about 11:30 Thursday morning when the driver of a Honda Element heading south on PCH sideswiped another car before losing control and plunging 30-feet down an embankment, said Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.

“The driver was trapped inside his vehicle after it traveled down the steep embankment and landed on its side,” according to the Newport Beach Fire Department. “The rescue was complicated due to rough terrain which made the vehicle unsteady.”

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Precariously positioned, the vehicle was in danger of rolling further down the embankment, said Fire Capt. Phil Puhek.

“It could have rolled farther,” he said. “They used our ladder truck to pick him up from below and secure him in a basket to lift him up.”

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The driver was still conscious but had to be transported to a Trauma Center due to his injuries.

The rescue took 15 firefighters about 20 minutes. The crash and subsequent investigation caused a partial closure of PCH into the afternoon.

Photos: Newport Beach Fire Department

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