Crime & Safety

2 Injured After Vehicle Goes 400 Feet Over Side of Angeles Crest in La Cañada

The Montrose Search and Rescue squad assists in the response to the incident.

This story was written by City News Service

Two men were injured Tuesday morning when the vehicle they were in went 400 feet over the side of the Angeles Crest Highway in La Cañada Flintridge, authorities said.

The crash happened around 1:30 a.m. at mile marker 42 north of Greenridge Drive, according to the California Highway Patrol, which called for a tow truck with at least 150 feet of cable.

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One victim, the sole passenger, crawled up to the road surface after the crash and the other was hoisted up, said Michael Pittman, supervising dispatcher with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which was assisted by the sheriff's Montrose Search and Rescue squad.

The second patient was brought to the road surface around 3:15 a.m. and airlifted to a hospital, Pittman said. He had managed to climb 200 feet above the wreck before rescuers reached him, CHP Officer Adam Eggleston told a news photographer at the scene.

Find out what's happening in La Cañada Flintridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The man, who had been driving, only appeared to have suffered minor abrasions and complained of chest pain, Eggleston said. The condition of the passenger was unclear.

A nitrous oxide tank, which is associated with street racing, was recovered at the scene, Eggleston said. While best known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide also can be used as an engine booster.

Deputy personnel the scene received minor injuries during the rescue, according to a release from the department.


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