Firefighters Rescue 2 From Car Hanging Off San Mateo Coast Cliff
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) -- Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to rescue two people trapped in a car hanging over a coastal cliff in southern San Mateo County on Saturday night, a Cal Fire captain said.
Cal Fire and the San Mateo County Fire Department responded to a report of a vehicle over the side of a cliff near Pescadero Beach around 9:30 p.m., Capt. Jonathan Cox said.
Arriving units found the car about 50 feet down the cliff resting on a rocky beach close to shore, Cox said.
Firefighters were able to lower themselves down to the vehicle that carried two people, he said.
Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate the people out due to the dangerous location of the car, Cox said.
Heavy rain, breaking waves and limited visibility posed as challenges for the firefighters, he said.
Crews assembled a high-angle rope rescue system then successfully raised one person who had moderate injuries and carried the second person who had minor injuries up the cliff, he said.
Both people were transported to hospitals for their injuries, Cox said.
Units from the La Honda Volunteer Fire Brigade, San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, State Parks Lifeguards, American Medical Response, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and California Highway Patrol also responded to the rescue.
Fire officials remind motorists to exercise caution when driving near coastal cliffs, especially at night or in the rain, by giving extra time to travel and reducing their speed.
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