Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,179,053 members, 7,906,896 topics. Date: Wednesday, 31 July 2024 at 06:18 PM

How I Survived Car Crash 200 Ft Down A Cliff - Angela Hernandez - Travel - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Travel / How I Survived Car Crash 200 Ft Down A Cliff - Angela Hernandez (411 Views)

2 Female Police Officers Die In Car Crash While On Their Way To Akwa Ibom (Pix) / How I Survived Ogbunike Cave And Its Colony Of Bats (photos) / Man And His Four Daughters Die In Car Crash In U.S. (Photos) (2) (3) (4)

(1) (Reply) (Go Down)

How I Survived Car Crash 200 Ft Down A Cliff - Angela Hernandez by Lucia220: 8:50am On Jun 02, 2020
The survival story of a woman, Angela Hernandez, 23, who had a crash in Big Sur and was found alive 7 days after plunging down a cliff on Highway 1, has kept people on the edge.

The crash which happened in 2018 in Monterey County prompted Monterey County Sheriff, Steve Bernal to hold a news conference detailing Hernandez's epic survival story.

Angela Hernandez took to her Facebook page to share several images of her mangled 2011 Jeep Patriot.

According to Sheriff Bernal, Angela Hernandez is still recovering in the hospital after falling 200 feet down a cliff on Friday, July 6. Angela Hernandez went off the highway after swerving to avoid a small animal in the road.

"For her to survive with the injuries she had was amazing," said Bernal.

In her Facebook post, Angela Hernandez described in detail what happened to her and the injuries she had to endure. According to her, she suffered a brain haemorrhage, broken ribs, broken collarbone, ruptured blood vessels in both eyes, and suffered intense sunburns on her hands, feet, and face.

Angela Hernandez said she survived for seven days by drinking water from a stream near the crash site.

She wrote:

"I found a 10-inch black hose that seemed to have fallen off of my vehicle during the crash. It fit perfectly in the front pocket of my sweater, so I kept it there. I walked farther south down the beach than I ever had before and heard a dripping sound. I looked up and saw a huge patch of moss with water dripping down from it. I caught the water in my hands and tasted it. It was fresh!!!! I collected as much as I could in my little hose and drank from it for maybe an hour."

Sheriff Bernal said they started looking for Angela Hernandez in Big Sur on Wednesday, July 11 after her phone was tracked to Big Sur. Ground search was conducted that same day, while heavy fog limited aerial searches.

The search for Hernandez continued till Friday with the help of the California Highway Patrol, the Air National Guard, the U.S. Forest Service and volunteers with the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.

Hernandez said she cried for help for days and it got difficult as days passed.

However, after seven days, two campers, Chelsea and Chad Moore from San Luis Obispo County found Hernandez on the beach.

According to Hernandez:

"I screamed, "HEEELLLPPPPP!" and then got up as quickly as I could and ran over to her. She was with a man and I don't think they could believe their eyes. They acted so quickly. She ran down the beach and up a trail to go find help while the man stayed with me and gave me fresh water.

"He told me they were a married couple who loved the ocean and had been exploring when they had come across my destroyed vehicle. He pulled out some of my belongings from their backpack (some of the most important ones, I'm not even kidding). I couldn't believe that they were even real. I couldn't believe that we had finally found each other."

While Chad Moore stayed with Angela Hernandez on the beach, his wife ran back to the campground to call for help.

Angela Hernandez was lifted out and transported by a CHP helicopter to Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, CA.

Sheriff Bernal said, "She's very very lucky, I tell ya, someone was watching over her."




How the Accident Happened

Angela Hernandez had been travelling in a 2011 Jeep Patriot from Portland to Lancaster, CA to visit her sister when she crashed and lost contact with her family. The search was initially launched in San Mateo County. Her family said she stopped in Davenport, just north of Santa Cruz, on the morning of July 6. That was the last time they heard from her.

After she was rescued, her sister, Isabel Hernandez took to Facebook to thank her sister's rescuers.

She wrote, "As you know, my sister survived 7 days alone 200 feet down a cliff. Thank you all for everything ... for her rescue and for bringing her up the cliff. She says she met so many beautiful people."




Read Angela Hernandez's complete survival story below.

"Sometime around noon on July 6th, I was in the final half of a beaaaautiful drive down home to Southern California. I was passing through Big Sur when a small animal stepped onto the road, causing me to swerve and lose control of my vehicle. I don't really remember much of the fall. They say I fell somewhere around 250 feet. The only thing I really remember after that was waking up. I was still in my car and I could feel water rising over my knees. My head hurt and when I touched it, I found blood on my hands. My car's power was off by now and every window was closed. Everything kind of happens fast here. I took off my seatbelt and found a multi-tool I kept near my front seat. I started hitting the driver-side window with it. Every bone in my body hurt. The only thing racing through my mind was my sister, Isabel. So I started screaming her name. Eventually, I was able to break out of my car and jump into the ocean. I swam to the shore and fell asleep for an unknown amount of time. When I woke up, it was still daylight and it was only then that I had finally realized what had happened. I stood up onto my feet and noticed a huge pain in my shoulders, hips, back, and thighs. I saw nothing but rocks, the ocean, and a cliff that I knew I'd never be able to look over. I could see my car not too far from me, half washed up on shore with the roof ripped off of it. I looked down at my feet and saw that my shoes were gone. I tried getting into my car because I had a gallon of water hidden away inside (I was never able to get to it, by the way, ahah)."

"The next few days kind of became a blur. I'd walk up and down the beach in search of another human being. I'd climb on rocks to avoid the sharp sand, walk along the shore to avoid the hot rocks, and air wrestle tiny crabs. I found a high spot I was able to climb up to and found myself there almost every day. I could see cars driving across the cliff and felt like if I could yell just loud enough, that one could hear or see me. That's all it would take to make it back to my family. Just one person noticing me. I'd usually stay there until the sun became unbearable and then would find a way to slide myself back down to the shore."

"About 3 days had passed by now and the back of my jeans were torn apart, my socks were nothing but holes, and I could start feeling the effects of dehydration. I found my way back to my car and started looking around for anything I could use. I found a 10-inch black hose that seemed to have fallen off of my vehicle during the crash. It fit perfectly in the front pocket of my sweater, so I kept it there. I walked farther south down the beach than I ever had before and heard a dripping sound. I looked up and saw a huge patch of moss with water dripping down from it. I caught the water in my hands and tasted it. It was fresh!!!! I collected as much as I could in my little hose and drank from it for maybe an hour."

"Every day, this became my ritual. I'd walk up and down the beach looking for new high grounds, screaming 'help' at the top of my lungs, and collecting water falling from the top of the cliffs. Every night, I'd find the highest point I could climb up to and find somewhere to fall asleep before the tide would rise. Every morning, I'd wake up soaked in sea mist and watch the sunrise."

"It would be a lie to say that things got easier as the days passed. They never did. But, they sure got predictable. Songs I hadn't heard in years would play on repeat inside of my head. I'd daydream of foods I'd get to eat once I was found and imagined the face of the person who would eventually find me."

"My last morning on the beach was an especially good one. I woke up in the middle of the night because of shoulder pain, but looked up and noticed the big dipper in the sky. I walked to my usual spots on the beach and started looking at everything a little bit differently. I fell asleep between some big rocks and let the sand cover my hair. It was warm out and I finally woke up before the sun had gone down. When I sat up, I saw a woman walking across the shore. I thought she was a dream. (I had a few just like this during the past few days)."

"I screamed, "HEEELLLPPPPP!" and then got up as quickly as I could and ran over to her. She was with a man and I don't think they could believe their eyes. They acted so quickly. She ran down the beach and up a trail to go find help while the man stayed with me and gave me fresh water. He told me they were a married couple who loved the ocean and had been exploring when they had come across my destroyed vehicle. He pulled out some of my belongings from their backpack (some of the most important ones, I'm not even kidding).I couldn't believe that they were even real. I couldn't believe that we had finally found each other. Eventually, a rescue team was able to pull me up the cliff and lead me to a helicopter that took me to a nearby hospital. There, I was reunited with my family and discovered the extent of my injuries."

"During the first few days after the crash, I was suffering from a brain haemorrhage. The crash had also caused me to fracture 4 ribs, break and fracture both collar bones, have a lung collapse, rupture blood vessels in both eyes, and experience intense sunburns on my hands, feet, and face."

"But, at the end of the day, none of that matters. I feel like I have everything I've ever wanted. I'm sitting here in the hospital, laughing with my sister until she makes broken bones hurt. I've met some of the most beautiful human beings that I think I'll ever meet in my entire life. I've experienced something so unique and terrifying and me that I can't imagine that there isn't a bigger purpose for me in this life."

"I don't know, you guys, life is incredible."
Read here==https://thestreetjournal.org/2020/06/how-i-survived-car-crash-200-ft-down-a-cliff-angela-hernandez/

1 Like

Re: How I Survived Car Crash 200 Ft Down A Cliff - Angela Hernandez by Iyiataata92: 8:52am On Jun 02, 2020
ok
Re: How I Survived Car Crash 200 Ft Down A Cliff - Angela Hernandez by Chicent(m): 9:06am On Jun 02, 2020
What a miracle working God.... Angela got a second chance. So will you if only you believe,

1 Like

Re: How I Survived Car Crash 200 Ft Down A Cliff - Angela Hernandez by Passionate888: 9:21am On Jun 02, 2020
If na Nigerian now, na thanksgiving go be next.
Re: How I Survived Car Crash 200 Ft Down A Cliff - Angela Hernandez by Passionate888: 9:34am On Jun 02, 2020
Pictures or
Re: How I Survived Car Crash 200 Ft Down A Cliff - Angela Hernandez by Tajio5: 9:59am On Dec 29, 2020
Its so geniue move which i have watched just for the car crashes and stunt which I would like to perform with my new RC cars that I have just purchased at https://remotecontrolcarsblog.com/gas-rc-cars-2020/ which is available at 2020 discount offer anyway also there are cons and pros available too.

(1) (Reply)

Change Of Location, Please Help A Soul. / Ikorodu Bois Videos | Celebrating Creativity In Nigeria / Any Nigerian Student In Greece

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 42
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.