Posted on 02/29/2024 11:50:44 AM PST by nickcarraway
A Pacific Grove man was rescued on Tuesday after driving his car off a Big Sur cliffside and falling 400 feet. The man, who crashed while driving home from his job in Big Sur, was first reported missing after not returning home on Sunday night.
According to the California Highway Patrol's Coastal Division Air Operations, a Pacific Grove police dispatch asked them to search the coastline from Big Sur to Carmel.
Twenty minutes later, the driver was found waving to the search team next to the wreckage of his car.
The victim told rescuers that he was on his way home Sunday night when he swerved to avoid deer on the roadway and drove off the cliff. The victim said he was thrown from the sunroof of his car while it rolled down the cliff.
Eventually, the car came to a stop approximately 400 ft. down the cliff in a spot that cannot be seen from the road and cannot be accessed at the beach.
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asked them to search the coastline from Big Sur to Carmel.
That's over 90 miles.
Pacific Grove is a town between Monterey and Carmel on that peninsula. It started out as a Methodist colony.
There is a video at the link.
...off a Big Sur cliffside and falling 400 feet. The man, who crashed while driving home from his job in Big Sur,Sounds like a known hazard.
Hair-raising rescue
My dad (may he rest in peace) used to work with this big Samoan guy who loved to get comfortably drunk and drive his little sportscar along this stretch of the highway at breakneck speeds. One day he took off to take his drive and nobody ever saw him again. He's probably still down there below the cliffs.
That honeymoon must be an amazing memory.
Used to work in PG for MBARI. Dave Packard had a place near Big Sur. He built a barn, bought a firetruck and gave it to the local fire dept. Handy having resources on site. The aquarium is on the site of Cannery Row. Movie by that name was based on Steinbeck’s book. Great movie.
Wow, I wouldn’t want to drive drunk there. I sometimes worry that you could doze off for a second, and it’d bee too late.
Which campground?
Sorry, I don’t recall. It was almost 40 years ago! All I remember about the location is that it was close enough to the beach to hear the waves crashing against the cliffs and there were lots of racoons scurrying around at night outside the tent.
No it’s not. Carmel to Big Sur is more like 25 miles. I was raised there.
I would get nervous driving it sober and wide awake! You miss a lot of scenery because your eyes are glued to the road going around those tight curves.
One very lucky dude.............
A similar accident happened in Hawaii a couple days ago.................
It was easier in the old days when cars had hubcaps that could used as a bowl to catch the oil. And if you don't have matches, making a fire is a lot harder since cars no longer come with cigarette lighters.
The moral of the story is learn basic survival skills and travel with essentials.
I learned a lot by reading the Popular Science article "How to Survive Anywhere" in the August 1965 issue, page 62! I was 15 at the time and I still remember reading it. It came in handy when I worked in the mountains in the west in the power business.
Some of the items in the article are way outdated. Good luck removing a headlight these days and using it to signal. But you can easily kick off an outside mirror and use it for signaling in the daytime. You can also use the car upholstery and headliner padding as makeshift clothing to keep you warm.
He was in Big Sur, if they are looking in Big Sur, or Big Sur to PG, Big Sur alone is over 70 miles.
He was in Big Sur, if they are looking in Big Sur, or Big Sur to PG, Big Sur alone is over 70 miles.
He was in Big Sur, if they are looking in Big Sur, or Big Sur to PG, Big Sur alone is over 70 miles.
The Southernmost point in Big Sur to PG is a lot more than 25 miles.
“he swerved to avoid deer on the roadway and drove off the cliff”
I will never swerve for any animal. I will hit them. Many people have swerved and rolled their car or lost control. Not me.
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