POINT REYES—A 24-year-old Gilroy man survived a fall from a cliff in Point Reyes National Park Saturday after good Samaritans and first responders in a helicopter rescued him in dramatic fashion.
The man, whose name was not released, was hiking Feb. 28 with a Gilroy-based church group near Arch Rock when he slipped or fell and tumbled more than 70 feet to the rocks below, according to the California Highway Patrol.
During the fall, he hit the rocks and bounced into the ocean. He was able to pull himself out of the rising surf and climb onto a small rock outcropping despite suffering major injuries, CHP Officer Jamie Andrews said in an emailed statement.
As bystanders and members of the church group ran to an area with cell phone service to call for help, two good Samaritans rushed down a trail, jumped into the surf and swam to the outcropping to aid the injured man, the CHP said.
But they, too, became stranded due to the rising tide. After bystanders called 911 at approximately 4:15 p.m., Marin County firefighters summoned the CHP’s air rescue division and a helicopter arrived on scene.
In a daring rescue, a captain with the Marin County Fire Department in the helicopter, aided by the two good Samaritans on the outcropping, loaded the injured hiker into a hoist, according to Andrews.
The man was dropped off via helicopter at the Bear Valley Visitor Center and transferred to a waiting ambulance. He was driven to an area trauma center suffering from major injuries and is expected to survive, according to the CHP.
After securing the injured man, the helicopter then returned to the outcropping and its emergency personnel rescued the others as waves slammed against the rocks, according to the CHP.
“Due to the tide rising during the course of the rescue, the good Samaritans, who were not identified, had no way to get to safety without the assistance of (the helicopter),” Andrews said. “The tide was coming in and was a serious concern during the course of the rescue.”
