'Nothing short of a miracle;' 2 adults, 2 kids survive Tesla cliff plunge at Devil's Slide
PACIFICA (CBS SF) – A Tesla drove off a cliff near Devil's Slide Monday morning, with two adults and two children surviving the plunge.
UPDATE: Tesla driver arrested for attempted murder, child abuse after Devil's Slide plunge
Cal Fire's San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit first tweeted about the accident around noon Monday. Officials noted that the Tesla fell about 250 feet down just south of the Tom Lantos Tunnels shortly before 11 a.m.
Expect delays after a vehicle went over the side of the cliff at Devil’s Slide. WATCH pic.twitter.com/dtL7BaBiE4
— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) January 2, 2023
While rescuers were on the ground assessing damage, multiple air ambulances were en route. By 2:24 p.m., ambulances had arrived and rescued one victim.
Multiple helicopters have been dispatched. One patient has been brought to the top of the cliff by firefighters. pic.twitter.com/QnoYrjTOOc
— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) January 2, 2023
By 3:20 p.m. all four victims had been rescued and taken to nearby hospitals. Cal Fire described all the injuries as "moderate, but stable."
"We come out here unfortunately all too often for things like this," said Brian Pottenger of the Cal Fire/Coastside Fire Protection District. "And this was a -- this was nothing short of a miracle today that they survived."
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said the adults suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and the children were unharmed in the crash.
This afternoon, deputies responded to a solo vehicle over the side of Hwy 1 south of the Tom Lantos tunnel. Two adults suffered non-life threatening injuries and two children were unharmed. Tremendous collaborative effort btwn SMSO, @CHP_GoldenGate and @calfireSCU pic.twitter.com/sVyKp6LSrc
— San Mateo County S.O (@SMCSheriff) January 3, 2023
The cause of the crash was not immediately known.