By Khalida Sarwari
Cal Fire crews rescued a man who fell off a cliff and two people who tried to save him in Monterey County on Monday evening, officials said today.
Cal Fire and Carmel Highlands fire crews responded at about 10:15 p.m. to a report of a man who had slipped and fallen off a cliff near a home by Highway 1, just south of Garrapata Creek, according to Cal Fire.
The man struck his head as he fell 15 to 20 feet to a small beach below, Cal Fire officials said.
Two people at the home the man was in came out to rescue him, but they too became trapped below the cliff.
Cal Fire officials said all three people were wet from the cold ocean.
Crews rescued the victim by securing him in a rescue basket and then hauling him up the cliff with a winch. He was airlifted to a trauma center in San Jose.
The other two victims were also hauled up the cliff and transported to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, where they were treated for minor cuts and bruises and hypothermia.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office assisted.