Motorist Rescued After Driving Over Oregon Cliff And Falling 100 Feet

A motorist in Oregon was rescued over the weekend after driving over a cliff and falling some 100 feet, becoming trapped in the car, officials said.

The Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District said firefighters responded to a report of a vehicle going off the road on Highway 101 near Hug Point, a coastal recreation site just south of Cannon Beach, at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. They arrived to find a single vehicle over the side of the cliff approximately 100 feet below the highway.

One team rappelled down to the vehicle. They stabilized the car, extricated the victim and assessed for injuries.

A video and photos shared by the fire department show crews using a rope rescue system to pull the victim back up to the highway. There, the victim was assessed by Medix Ambulance paramedics and transported to a local hospital. The fire department said the victim’s injuries “appeared to be mild.”

The highway was closed for more than two hours during the rescue operation, and was reopened at around 8 p.m.

Oregon State Police are investigating the cause of the accident.