1 person found dead, 2 with traumatic injuries on California beach after falling down 300-foot cliff
Southern California firefighters found one person dead and three people injured on a beach below an ocean cliff early Monday, authorities said. Two of the people suffered traumatic injuries while the fourth person suffered a minor injury and was able to walk away, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Palos Verdes Estates police called the Los Angeles County Fire Department before dawn to report a person possibly "over the side" of the cliff. Firefighters found the four people 300 feet down the cliff, said fire dispatch supervisor Martin Rangel.
#BREAKING UPDATE: Authorities say 2 people suffered traumatic injuries in a fall down a Palos Verdes Estates cliff that killed 1 person. A fourth person was able to walk away. https://t.co/ZAEGMJasRE
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) May 23, 2022
One person was dead, two had trauma and one was suffering from minor injuries, Rangel said.
The victims were only described as two females and two males.
CBS Los Angeles reported one person was hoisted from the bottom of the cliff by a helicopter, and brought to the top of the cliff, while a second person was airlifted straight to the hospital. A second person was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Both people taken to the hospital are in critical condition.
No car was involved in the fall, and authorities say it's unclear how the four people fell. L.A. County Fire officials say they all appeared to have been on foot.
Palos Verdes Estates is on the Palos Verdes Peninsula at the south end of Los Angeles County. A trail runs along the bluff top high above the Pacific Ocean.
The area where the fall happened was described as very unstable, with very loose soil, and no fencing in the area, CBS Los Angeles reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.