PALOS VERDES ESTATES, California – Four people fell off a cliff in southern California before Monday morning and one man was killed and two women were seriously injured, authorities said.
The fourth person, a man with minor injuries, managed to get back up from the beach below and alerted a passing officer around 4:30 a.m., said Palos Verdes Estates Police Department Captain Steve Barber.
A 25-year-old man from Los Angeles was killed at the scene, Barber said. Two women were flown from the beach and each was hospitalized in critical condition, she said.
Television helicopters showed a Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter as a victim climbed into a rescue vehicle at the top of the cliff.
Barber said police were investigating the incident as an accident.
The surviving man, 25-year-old Vincent Avila of Los Angeles, was hospitalized with broken ribs and minor kidney damage, KNBC-TV reported.
“This is a miracle,” his mother, Irma, told the news.
The son told her that the four friends went to the cliffs for a walk and walk on Sunday night. He said when one of the women went to calm down in the dark, she slipped and fell. The other three sat on the edge trying to find themselves in the dark, and they too slipped.
Palos Verdes Estates is located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula at the southern tip of Los Angeles County. The route runs over 300 feet (91 meters) above the Pacific Ocean.
There have been a number of accidents in the area over the years, Barber said, and some suicides.
“There is no indication at this time that there was an accident,” he said.