Good Samaritans rescue injured driver in Santa Cruz cliff crash – East Bay Times

SANTA CRUZ — A woman driving a black Nissan Pathfinder SUV along Swift Street crossed West Cliff Drive and drove over a cliff into Monterey Bay Monday morning.

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Santa Cruz Fire Department rescue swimmer Brendan Daly, left, puts on a personal flotation device for the driver of a Nissan Pathfinder, third from left, while bystanders who swam to save the driver continue to help. (Shmuel Thaler – Guardian of Santa Cruz)

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Witnesses say two good Samaritans who witnessed the crash quickly shed most of their clothes and descended the cliff into the water to help rescue the driver before Santa Cruz Fire Department swimmers met them with surfboards in the water and swam to a waiting location . Harbor patrol boat.

The driver who initially collided with a Honda sedan traveling east on West Cliff Drive before 11:30 a.m. was transported for medical treatment, according to Santa Cruz Police Department spokeswoman Katie Lee. The driver of the sedan, who stated she stopped at the intersection and then continued driving before the driver of the SUV struck her front, remained at the scene and was not transported for medical attention.

A rescuer arrives at Monday's scene in a personal watercraft while Santa Cruz firefighters comb the water to make sure there are no other people in need of help. (Shmuel Thaler - Guardian of Santa Cruz) — A rescuer arrives at Monday’s scene in a personal watercraft while Santa Cruz firefighters comb the water to make sure there are no other people in need of help. (Shmuel Thaler – Guardian of Santa Cruz)

The driver of the sedan, a Santa Cruz resident who asked to remain anonymous, was traveling in the car with her small dog after her daily visit to Natural Bridges State Park. The SUV quickly drove toward her, and the crash pushed her vehicle toward an icy cliff edge before she realized what was happening, the woman added.

Both the driver of the sedan and other witnesses said the driver of the SUV likely hit the sedan before reversing and heading toward the cliff.

She said pedestrian Heidi Lewin and a friend were parked on Swift Street and witnessed the crash.

“We literally walked through the crosswalk and three seconds later, about 6 feet away, the accident happened right behind us,” Lewin said. “We were on our way to the lighthouse when a car came and plowed through it. We didn’t even see it behind us.”

Lewin and her friend immediately turned around to see if they could help the people involved in the first crash when they said they saw the SUV reverse and then move forward. She added that the SUV rolled over twice before landing on its roof along the shoreline. Lewin said the driver got out of the SUV and started swimming into the bay.

Originally published: December 3, 2024 at 6:13 am PST