The driver of a westbound SUV on Interstate 8 lost control Tuesday and plunged over a cliff, killing one person and seriously injuring another.
A call came in at 4:43 p.m. of a 2008 red Ford Edge that went over the side of the road near McCain Valley Road in the rural East San Diego County community of Boulevard, CalFire Capt. Brent Pascua said. Responders arrived on the scene at 4:59 p.m.
"The first unit arriving determined that the vehicle had plunged about 300 feet down the side of a cliff and that one person had self-extricated themselves with moderate injuries," Pascua said. "The second person did not get out of the vehicle and was dead at the scene."
Emergency responders were involved in lifting the vehicle and its dead occupant up the side of the cliff and onto the roadway, Pascua said.
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The SUV "cut across both road lanes and went right over the cliff," according to the California Highway Patrol. Dispatchers said there was "a lot of smoke" and the SUV was "covered by some trees under boulders."
Responders were alerted to the plight of the vehicle by hearing someone yelling for help, according to the CHP.
This is an ongoing investigation and Highway Patrol says it appears alcohol and or drugs were a factor in the crash.
Local
The driver was identified as a 52-year-old female from Wilmington, California. The passenger was identified as a 43-year-old man also from Wilmington.
