Angela Hernandez was driving Highway 1 in Big Sur when she swerved to avoid a small animal and her Jeep plunged 200 feet off the cliff to the rocky shore below. She survived the crash, broke out of her partially submerged car, and spent seven days alone on the beach - using a 10-inch hose from the wreck to siphon fresh water dripping from cliff moss. Two hikers spotted the crushed Jeep and found her alive.
She Survived 7 Days at the Bottom of a 200-Foot Big Sur Cliff
When a small animal darted across Highway 1 near Big Sur on the morning of July 6, 2018, Angela Hernandez - a 23-year-old from Portland, Oregon - swerved instinctively. Her 2011 Jeep Patriot left the road and plunged approximately 200 feet down the cliff face to the rocky Pacific shoreline far below.
Breaking Out With Nothing
The crash left Hernandez with devastating injuries: a brain hemorrhage, four fractured ribs, both collarbones broken, a collapsed lung, and ruptured blood vessels in both eyes. The vehicle landed partially submerged in the surf. She broke through a window and dragged herself to shore. The nearest road was 200 feet straight up. There was no cell signal. A Monterey County Sheriff's spokesman would later put it plainly: "It's usually the fall that gets them, or the ocean that gets them, and she was lucky to survive both."
The Hose That Kept Her Alive
During seven days alone on that remote beach, Hernandez found a 10-inch rubber hose that had come loose from the Jeep in the crash. She used it to siphon fresh water trickling down the cliff face from a patch of moss - enough to stay hydrated day after day. She ate nothing. She slept beside the wreck and watched the empty ocean.
Found on Day Seven
On the evening of July 13, Chad and Chelsea Moore - a couple from Morro Bay who had hiked out along the remote coastline looking for a fishing spot - rounded a bend and spotted the crushed white Jeep far below. About half a mile further along the rocks, they found Hernandez. "I thought she was a dream," Hernandez said of the moment she saw Chelsea Moore. She was airlifted to hospital, where she discovered the full extent of her injuries - and wrote from her bed: "I feel like I have everything I've ever wanted."
What Came After
Chad and Chelsea Moore were later honoured with a Civilian Award for Emergency Medical Services at a ceremony in San Francisco. KSBW drone footage of the crushed Jeep at the base of the cliff - barely visible against the rocks 200 feet below Highway 1 - captured just how extreme her survival had been. She recovered and returned to Portland.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Angela Hernandez survive 7 days after driving off a cliff in Big Sur?
How far did Angela Hernandez fall off the Big Sur cliff?
Who found Angela Hernandez after the Big Sur cliff crash?
What injuries did Angela Hernandez sustain in the Big Sur cliff crash?
Why did Angela Hernandez drive off the cliff in Big Sur?
Verified Fact
Core facts verified across CNN, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Newsweek, KATU, Willamette Week (July 2018). Age 23 confirmed (KATU, WWeek, ABC). Accident date July 6 2018 confirmed. Cliff height: 200 feet used (majority of sources; 250 ft appears in CNN/ABC, both defensible). Animal: small animal confirmed across all sources; rabbit specified in CBS/Autoblog but not universal - used small animal. Water source: 10-inch rubber hose from Jeep used to siphon fresh water from cliff moss confirmed (KATU, WWeek, CBS, ABC). Radiator-water framing in some headlines is inaccurate compression. Injuries confirmed: brain hemorrhage, 4 fractured ribs, both collarbones broken, collapsed lung, ruptured blood vessels in both eyes (KATU, CNN, WWeek). Finders: Chad and Chelsea Moore of Morro Bay confirmed (CBS, KSBY). EMS award confirmed (KSBY). Quote I thought she was a dream confirmed (WWeek/ABC). Quote I feel like I have everything confirmed (KATU).
KSBW Action News 8Related Topics
Enjoyed this? Get a fun fact daily.
One fascinating fact, every morning. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
