Portion Of PCH Closed In Newport Beach After Car Goes Airborne, Rolls Down Embankment

NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA) - A portion of Pacific Coast Highway was closed Monday after a vehicle flew off the highway and down an embankment near Bayside Drive.

One person was removed from the silver sedan, which landed upside down on the embankment. It took firefighters about 45 minutes to rescue them.

The motorist was transported to the hospital, though CBSLA's Michelle Gile reports that the man could be heard screaming and yelling as they were removing him, obviously in a lot of distress.

It was around 5:15 p.m. when the driver going northbound near Bayside Drive went off the road for an unknown reason, ran into a light pole and flipped as it slid down the embankment.

The accident happened near the property of Bayside Village Marina, a storage facility for RV's and boats.

Two young women who work at the Gondola Concession located in the parking lot reacted when heard the accident take place.

"As soon as I heard some noises, I looked out the window and I could see four piles of dirt following the four loud crashes," Sydney Hill, a Newport Resident and witness, said. "My Moraya immediately sprinted out of the office to where we though the car had crashed. I said, 'Call 911,' and she threw me her phone and I immediately dialed it, waiting for them to respond.

It was then that the other witness, Moraya Drayton decided to jump over the fence.

"I did. As soon I got out of the office, we were sprinting over there, I jumped the fence, handed her my phone. I went over to talk to the one police officer that was already there. I heard them talking to the person, and I was going to get a fire extinguisher because the engine was on fire still, but more police showed up and they got that handled very quickly," Drayton said.

Drayton said she couldn't understand what the motorist was saying to officers, only that they were responding.

Asked what the experience was like for them, seeing the wreckage just a short distance from where they both work.

"It puts things into perspective, for sure, about knowing how quick things can happen and just to be grateful for everything," Hill said.

The northbound lanes of PCH will remain closed for some time as the scene is cleared of debris.