Two adults and two children, ages 4 and 9, were rescued from a Tesla that plunged 250 feet off a cliff Monday morning in San Mateo County, California, officials said.
The car was traveling southbound on the Pacific Coast Highway when it went over the cliff at Devil’s Slide, south of the Tom Lantos tunnel, and landed near the water’s edge below, the Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit said.
The car flipped and landed on its wheels in the fall, CAL FIRE/Coastside Fire Incident Commander Brian Pottenger said. Witnesses saw the accident and called 911.
As crews were lowered down to the crash site, they were able to see movement in the front seat, through their binoculars, meaning someone was alive.
“We were actually very shocked when we found survivable victims in the vehicle. So, that actually was a really hopeful moment for us,” Pottenger said.
He told NBC News it’s “very, very rare” for there to be survivors of such a steep fall. “It’s fairly common that we get vehicles off these cliffs” in the area south of Devil’s Slide, he added.
Fire officials called for helicopters to help hoist the survivors to safety. As they waited, firefighters rappelled to the scene and rescued the two children.
Pottenger said both children were in car seats that “saved their lives.”
“The car seats actually did their job. Amazingly, they stayed in place. They were intact, and there was no damage to them,” he said.
The California Highway Patrol shared video on social media showing helicopters lower first responders to the scene to extricate and rescue two adults inside.
Pottenger said that the kids and adults were “grateful that we were there.”
All four were hospitalized at Stanford Medical Center.
Pottenger said the kids suffered some minor musculoskeletal injuries and the adults suffered moderate traumatic injuries to several areas of their bodies. All were awake and conscious when they were transferred to the hospital.
It’s not clear what caused the car to go over the cliff. CHP is handling the investigation.
CHP said that they do not believe the vehicle was in self-driving mode.