BIG SUR – Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue assisted with recovery efforts after a vehicle drove off Highway 1 and went over a cliff at Hurricane Point in Big Sur on Tuesday afternoon.
At about 4:22 p.m. on Tuesday, emergency dispatchers received multiple 911 calls reporting a vehicle had gone off the roadway and was believed to have entered the water. Big Sur Fire and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office established a coordinated search and rescue operation.
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(Photo courtesy of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office)
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(Photo courtesy of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office)
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Rescue crews found the vehicle more than 500-feet below the roadway on the rocks. Inside the car, one occupant was located and pronounced deceased at the scene.
Recovery efforts continued until about 8:45 p.m. The victim was recovered and transferred to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office for identification and notification of next of kin.
Sheriff Tina Nieto said weather conditions complicated the recovery operation, citing strong winds that required additional safety precautions for Search and Rescue personnel.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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