A California man was killed Monday after the SUV he was driving veered off a popular coastal highway and plunged off a steep cliff in Santa Cruz County, authorities said.
Officials said two Santa Cruz City lifeguards swam from Greyhound State Beach to the scene, where they found the driver and began CPR.
In footage shared online, numerous fire crews and CHP officers can be seen standing along the bluff overlooking the ocean as a Cal Fire helicopter flies overhead.
Video of the man being pulled from the wreckage was not publicly shared. However, Cal Fire said first responders lowered a hoist basket to the beach and were able to pull the driver up to the highway, where an ambulance was waiting.
The department initially said the man was listed in critical condition, but CHP later clarified that he did sustain major injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel despite life-saving efforts.
Officials have not released the identity of the driver, but noted that he is believed to have been the only occupant of the SUV. NTD reached out to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office for more information, but a response was not received by publication time.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and officials said it is unknown whether or not alcohol or drugs played a factor in the incident.
Authorities have asked anyone with information about the case to contact CHP directly by calling the dispatch line at (831) 796-2160.
Following Monday's crash, the CHP extended condolences to the driver's friends and family. In a statement, Captain Boles, commander of the law enforcement agency's Santa Cruz Area office, also reminded motorists "to drive at a safe speed for current conditions, never drive distracted, always wear a seatbelt, and never drive impaired."