Driver rescued after car tumbles down embankment near Crystal Cove

Jan. 21, 2016 4:58 PM PT

Firefighters rescued a driver who was trapped after his car dropped about 30 feet down a steep embankment near Crystal Cove on Thursday morning, according to Newport Beach authorities.

Police said the driver was headed south on Coast Highway around 11:30 a.m. when he lost control, sideswiped another vehicle and swerved off the road.

Because of the rough terrain, firefighters had to steady the car before extricating the driver and hoisting him up to the roadway, according to the Fire Department.

Paramedics took the man to a trauma center, but his injuries were not life-threatening, according to authorities.

Police closed one southbound lane of Coast Highway so crews could perform the rescue, but the road was completely open by the afternoon, police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella said.

Jeremiah Dobruck

Jeremiah Dobruck was a public safety reporter for the Daily Pilot. He first came to the Pilot as an editorial intern in 2009. After a handful of other media-related jobs, he was hired full-time at the Pilot as a copy editor in 2012. He holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Cal State Fullerton. He left the Daily Pilot in 2016.