MONTara, Calif. — A 4-year-old girl, 9-year-old boy and two adults survived Monday after their car fell off a Northern California cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway, officials said. .
The Tesla sedan fell more than 250 feet (76.20 meters) off the highway and hit a rocky outcrop.It appeared to flip several times before its wheels landed, wedged on a cliff just feet from the waves, it is claimed Brian Pottenger, battalion commanderCoast Fire District/Cal Fire.
About 15 miles (24.14 kilometers) south of San Francisco on the steep, rocky and winding coast between Pacifica and Montara, crashed along the devil’s slide with few survivors. The victims were initially listed as critical on Monday, but all four were conscious and alert when rescuers arrived.
“We always go there looking for cars on the cliffs, but they never live. It’s an absolute miracle,” Pottenger said.
Based on initial investigations, the Cal Highway Patrol does not believe the Tesla was in Autopilot or Full Self-Driving mode, Sergeant Mark Andrews said.
Road conditions were also not considered a factor in the accident. There is no guardrail at the lower cliff of the sedan chair.
“The car went off a major part of the road. For what reason, we don’t know,” Andrews said.
Witnesses called 911 around 10:15 a.m. and crews set up a rope system on the highway and lowered firefighters down the cliff, the battalion commander said. Meanwhile, other firefighters watching the sedan through binoculars suddenly noticed movement — suggesting at least one person was still alive.
“Every one of us was shocked when we saw movement outside the front windshield,” Pottenger said.
The incident went from a possible body recovery to a rescue operation that took hours amid persistent rain, high winds, slick roads and rough seas. The door was slammed into the cliff and became jammed, so firefighters were forced to use the so-called “jaw of life” tool to cut the victim out of the car.
Crews pulled the children out of the rear window and, using a rope system, placed them in rescue baskets and carried them up the cliff by hand. They were rushed to hospital by ambulance with musculoskeletal injuries.
“They’re more scared than getting hurt,” Pottenger said.
However, the adult suffered traumatic injuries and had to be hoisted into the cliff by helicopter. They were all taken to hospital afterwards, the battalion commander said. It was not immediately clear whether the four passengers were members of the same family.
Officials are investigating what caused the Tesla to veer off the highway at that point.
“I don’t even enjoy driving it,” Pottenger said. “It’s definitely a danger zone in California.”