Man, 50, Dies After Falling Off Cliff
A Hermosa Beach man apparently lost his way in pre-dawn fog Monday and fell over the edge of a Palos Verdes Estates cliff, plunging more than 250 feet to his death.
Huntley Houck, 50, probably died instantly because the sheer cliff off Paseo del Mar just north of Epping Road has no bushes or outcroppings to break a fall, Police Sgt. Ron Echols said.
Houck’s wife, Phoebe, told police that she and her husband were driving to San Pedro about 6:15 a.m. for breakfast when Houck stopped on Paseo del Mar to look for a place to urinate.
When he failed to return promptly to the car where she waited, Phoebe Houck briefly searched for him in the thick fog, calling out his name. A few minutes later, she drove to a Lunada Bay gas station, where she dialed 911 for emergency help.
Rescuers found Houck’s body at the base of the cliff.
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