A man was rescued Monday evening after falling from a cliff at Sunny Cove in Live Oak, Santa Cruz County, as powerful waves crashed against the shoreline. The incident occurred around 7 p.m.
at the end of Sunny Cove Drive, where the victim slipped on a slick rock ledge near the edge of a cliff, according to witnesses. Doug Erickson, who was watching the waves from a nearby spot, said he saw the man walking toward the edge, apparently unaware of the slippery slope.
"The guy didn't realize that he started walking towards it and slipped and it seemed like he went 10 feet in the air — his legs went up in the air and he came down headfirst on the rock ledge," Erickson recounted. Erickson and several bystanders rushed carefully to the man and called 911.
While waiting for emergency responders, two bystanders performed CPR on the victim, shielding him from waves that continued to wash over the ledge. "While two people were doing CPR, the waves were hitting the cliff, washing up on to them," Erickson said.
"They had to lay flat on top of the person, so that they wouldn't get swept off the ledge, it was quite dramatic." Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County arrived at the scene at approximately 7:04 p.m., according to a preliminary incident alert. Firefighters treated the man on-site before transporting him to an ambulance for further medical care.
A Central Fire representative confirmed the man was alive at the time of transport but could not disclose his current medical status. "Aren't we lucky to have people that are willing to put their lives at risk just to help others?" Erickson remarked, highlighting the bravery of the bystanders.