Driver Killed After Plunging 280 Feet Down Monterey Cliff

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA -- One person was killed after his vehicle failed to negotiate a turn and plunged around 280 feet down a rugged cliff along state Highway 1 and the Big Sur coastline in unincorporated Monterey County on Saturday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A 39-year-old man was killed in the solo-vehicle crash that was reported around 9 a.m. Saturday, the CHP said. The victim's name hasn't been released pending the notification of next of kin.

The vehicle, a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, was found by the Monterey County Search and Rescue team and the Big Sur Fire Brigade - with help from a CHP helicopter - at the bottom of a ravine with the driver inside, who was
pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said.

According to the CHP, a preliminary investigation concluded the driver crossed over from the southbound lane of the highway into the northbound lane before careening off the cliff.

The Monterey County Coroner's Office is working to identify the driver.

The crash comes a few weeks after Oregon native Angela Hernandez was found alive after surviving a 200-foot plunge off Highway 1 around six miles north of where Saturday's crash occurred, the CHP said.

--Bay City News/Photo via Shutterstock