PCH closed while SMFD extricates man who fell down face of Palisades Bluffs
PCH — A man fell nearly 200 feet down the Palisades Bluffs Sunday morning. He died at a local hospital more than an hour later.
A witness called police at about 8 a.m. reporting an injured person below Palisades Park. Although the investigation is in its preliminary stages, authorities believe the man either fell from the edge of the bluffs or jumped, said Santa Monica Police Lt. Frank Fabrega.
The man, whose identity isn’t being released until his next of kin is notified, died at 9:40 a.m. at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.
The victim, when found by emergency workers, was hanging from a tree upside down.
His leg had wrapped around a branch about three feet from the ground. The victim’s head was resting in the dirt when rescue workers from the Santa Monica Fire Department found him, said SMFD Batallion Chief Carl Bjerke.
“He was conscious and breathing and talking to us during the rescue,” Bjerke said.
The victim was complaining of pain in his abdomen. It appeared he had a fractured arm and was suffering from internal bleeding, Bjerke said.
The area where the man fell — between the 200 and 300 blocks of Ocean Avenue — is at the north end of Palisades Park.
The bluffs on the north end extend about 300 feet to the Pacific Coast Highway and are steep with thick brush. However, the terrain where the victim landed was in a flat, clear area.
“That tree is really the only landmark in the area,” Bjerke said.
SMFD personnel used about 275 feet of rope during the operation. An aerial ladder from a truck parked on the PCH was used to reach the victim. Firefighters descended from the top and loaded the man into a basket, which was then carried by other rescuers down the ladder to the truck, Bjerke said. Eighteen firefighters responded to the scene.
Police closed down one northbound lane of the PCH during the hour-long rescue. The victim, who lost consciousness during the rescue, was then transported by ambulance to the hospital, where he died shortly after, Bjerke said.
The victim is about 23 and from Los Angeles, Fabrega said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 18, 2005. Read the original PDF.