Mount Helix driver careens down a cliff into a house

A Mount Helix driver lost control of her SUV before it rolled down a cliff face and into a house. The woman behind the wheel survived.

Her SUV rolled down nearly 150 feet into Don Dardashti’s house.

“We tried to call out to her, and it took her a few minutes to respond. The good thing is she was able to respond,“ Dardashti said.

The driver could talk but not get herself out of the vehicle.

Dardashti was working inside the house when the accident happened.

“She had like bruises on her face, swelling and scratches. She had her neck tied down,” Dardashti said.

Firefighters with San Miguel Fire and Rescue managed to get her out and up the hill safely. The vehicle would prove to be another matter.

Firefighters say the woman was driving westbound on Pandora Drive and that she had some kind of mobility problem, perhaps with her legs, or she was somehow distracted. The SUV went straight through a chainlink fence and began rolling down the hill.

It barely missed a gas meter, moved a boulder about 4 feet and finally came to rest at Dardashti's back door.

The home was also damaged on the inside. The extent of it won’t be known until inspection.

Battalion Chief Brian Lieberman is accustomed to responding to Mount Helix accidents.

“Mount Helix does have very steep hills and long driveways. From time to time, vehicles can go off the roadway,” Lieberman said.

Dardashti, who has lived in the area for three years, is not used to this.

“There was like a rumbling sound, and then it sounded like something came tumbling down the hill. Then, there was a big crash,” Dardashti said.

Despite the SUV's position, Quality Towing made short work of getting it back up the cliff and on the road — although there is no repairing it.

"We’re OK. We’re happy no one is hurt or seriously hurt,” Dardashti said.

There were no disruptions in utility service or evacuations in the neighborhood.