Driver Plummets Off De Luz Roadway, Rescued By Helicopter Crew

TEMECULA, CA —An SUV launched from a hairpin curve in De Luz into the canyon below Thursday, leading to a helicopter rescue operation at Calle Vista Lejos and Calle Escadera.

The driver was seriously injured in the crash, and found after an extensive search over 300 feet below the roadway, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said. According to California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Lassig, emergency responders worked from both the ground and the air to retrieve him.

The driver was ultimately airlifted to safety and taken to the hospital by a waiting ambulance.

Shortly before 3:45 p.m., an adult male driver of a Honda Odyssey was traveling on Calle Escadera at an unknown rate of speed. He approached a 90-degree curve in the road and failed to negotiate the curve safely, Lassig said.

His vehicle plummeted over the cliff and the car tumbled 500 feet into the canyon below.

"The driver was ejected from the vehicle, and it is unknown if he was wearing his safety belt," Officer Mike Lassig told Patch.

The crash was witnessed by a Calle Escadera guest house resident, who called 911 to report the incident. Dispatch officers confirmed that the vehicle was "no longer visible" from the house or the road.

California Highway Patrol and Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department arrived where the vehicle was last sighted, and two Riverside County Sheriff's Department helicopters were called in for assistance.

Firefighters reached the victim just before 4:15 p.m., according to dispatch reports, and he was airlifted to an awaiting ambulance. His condition was listed as serious.

The vehicle was listed as "unrecoverable," CHP said. A tow truck was called to the scene to hoist the vehicle up the hill and back onto the road.

Dispatch suggested they bring "a lot of cable."