The firefighter fell about 30 feet into the ocean after his SUV was struck by a mudslide.
Shortly after several wildfires scorched Southern California, the region was drenched by a series of relentless rain storms. The burned, dry ground couldn’t soak up the water, resulting in flash floods and mudslides.
A firefighter in Los Angeles experienced the force behind the mudslides plaguing the area when he was responding to a call on Friday. His colleagues and road crew spotted the mudslide before he did, and tried to tell him to back up and drive away.
The first responder’s dashcam footage showed how hard his SUV was suddenly hit by a wall of dirty water. As soon as the 3,000-pound SUV was lifted from the road, it was pushed over a rocky cliff and into the ocean. It rolled several times before landing in the water.
Luckily, the man was able to climb out of the SUV and climb up the hill, but the car remained.
The firefighter had to use a knife to escape the SUV
After the firefighter crawled up the rocky cliff, Captain Eric Scott said he was taken to the hospital out of an “abundance of caution.”
Scott said the firefighter only suffered a few cuts and bruises, despite the airbags deploying. He also told reporters the man used a pocket knife to cut through the seatbelts and escape.
“We are so thankful he wasn’t significantly injured,” Scott told KTLA. “The vehicle went through a significant drop… It’s a great reminder for people to stay out of the area unless they’re a first responder.”
The rescue will require heavy equipment, said the captain
Soon, the SUV will be lifted out of the Pacific Ocean during a “heavy rescue.”
“We’ll bring a mammoth-sized tow truck with a boom and cables that will wrap around it and lift it out,” he said. “We anticipate low tide will be around 4 p.m., so we’ll be able to extricate it then.”
