California man dies after driving off beachside cliff along Highway 1

A driver plunged up to 500 feet to his death after barreling a beachside cliff along California’s scenic Highway 1 in Santa Cruz County.

The victim — identified only as a 58-year-old man from Santa Rosa — died after his car crashed off the highway near Greyhound State Beach, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The man was driving a black 2017 Honda Pilot at unknown speeds when he veered off the roadway, crashing into a call box and plummeting down the cliff into the ocean below, officials said.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene while lifeguards from two nearby state parks swam out to the area, locating the vehicle and victim, according to CAL Fire.

CPR was administered on the patient and a helicopter was sent in to aid in the rescue.

The chopper used a basket to pull the patient up to the highway, where an ambulance was waiting.

Authorities said the driver sustained major injuries due to the crash and he was pronounced dead at the scene, despite life-saving efforts.

No one else is believed to have been in the car with the victim. 

Officials said it is unclear whether any drugs or alcohol played a part in the crash.

Captain Grant Boles, commander of the CHP Santa Cruz Area, said the crash was a reminder to other motorists to drive at “a safe speed for current conditions, never drive distracted, always wear a seatbelt, and never drive impaired.”

Earlier this year, a driver was killed after falling 500 feet off a cliff near scenic Big Sur, south of the location of Monday’s crash.

The unidentified motorist was driving along Highway 1 near Hurricane Point when the vehicle launched off the road, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said.

Members of the sheriff’s Search & Rescue team, along with California Highway Patrol personnel and Big Sur Fire workers, located the vehicle more than 500 feet below the road on the craggy rocks below.

Rescuers discovered the car’s occupant, who was pronounced dead at the scene.