A woman was rescued from a dangerous California cliff by a helicopter crew after her vehicle skidded off Pacific Coast Highway and plunged into the water, authorities said.
Video of the rescue by the Ventura County Aviation Unit was posted to social media accounts Friday. It shows the skill of the unit as the helicopter soars over the coast and a hoist is lowered to the victim’s location just steps from the breaking waves.
The 18-year-old woman boarded the helicopter as it struggled to maintain stability amid offshore winds, video shows.
She was taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in nearby Thousand Oaks with serious injuries, according to a statement from the California Highway Patrol.
The woman was heading north on Coastal Highway in a Mercedes when she skidded off the pavement near Yerba Buena Road north of Malibu around 1:11 p.m. Friday for unknown reasons, the CHP said.
The vehicle ended up at the bottom of the rocky cliffs, authorities said.
“The patient was trapped on top of the overturned vehicle,” Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Brian McGrath said via email.
She was able to get out of the car on her own, she said, but it was not possible to get to the top of the cliffs to be transported to a hospital.
Rescuers from the Ventura County Fire Department responded on the ground, but the helicopter was eventually used to lift the woman and take her to a medical facility, McGrath said.
California State Parks and the US Coast Guard also responded, the CHP said, although the Coast Guard said it did not send any assets, which it describes as boats and aircraft, to the scene.
High tide and «unsafe conditions» prevented the immediate recovery of the Mercedes, the highway patrol said. Coast Guard spokesman Richard Uranga said an oil sheen was reported on the water after the incident.
The cause of the highway incident was under investigation and CHP said it was looking for witnesses.
The Ventura County Aviation Unit is jointly operated by the fire department and the sheriff’s office.