Driver rescued after plunging into a California ravine

A driver was rescued after their car went over a cliff and plunged into a ravine last Friday in Sonoma County, Calif..

A driver was rescued after their car went over a cliff and plunged into a ravine last Friday in Sonoma County, Calif.

Shortly before 8 p.m., the sheriff's office received calls about a vehicle falling several metres down a ravine on Mount Tamalpais.

Three U.S. Airforce Airmen witnessed the accident and quickly made their way down the ravine to the vehicle before first responders arrived on site.

The driver was extricated from the vehicle by paramedics and hoisted on a rescue stretcher to a medical helicopter. They suffered major injuries and were transported to a local trauma center.

According to statement by the sheriff's office, the car was some 160 metres down the cliff, and “appeared to have only been stopped by a large tree… which was holding the vehicle up from falling further down the hillside.”

One rescuer also sustained injuries while trying to access the vehicle.