Fire Crews Scale Down Cliff To Save Injured Santa Cruz Surfer

SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) - A surfer who was injured after hitting his head on rocks was saved by fire crews who went down a cliffside to rescue him in Santa Cruz Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

Crews responded to a report of a surfer who was injured in the area of West Cliff Drive and Pelton Avenue at about 2:10 p.m., fire officials said.

Other surfers helped the injured surfer, who had hurt his hip and head on the rocks, and got him out of the water.

When crews arrived, they found the surfer about 20 feet down a cliff. After getting down to him, crews rendered medical aid, according to fire officials.

A basket was lowered down to help bring the surfer up the cliff. He was then transported to Dominican Hospital to be treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening, fire officials said.

Traffic was temporarily rerouted in the area during the rescue.

© Copyright 2014 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.