Rescued Motorist in Angeles Crest Crash Was Dangling on Side of Mountain, Police Say

Two deputies from the Crescenta Valley Station rescued a motorist hanging on the side of a mountain in the Angeles National Forest Tuesday.

The deputies were flagged down by a group of motorists at 1:10 a.m. who said their friend's black Honda had possibly gone over the side of Angeles Crest Highway at mile marker 42, according to Sgt. Burton Brink of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Organizing a search party, the deputies found the vehicle about 450 feet over the side of the highway, and both the driver and passenger had been ejected, according to Brink. The passenger was able to crawl to safety at a nearby gas station but the driver was dangling, according to Brink.

The Montrose Search and Rescue Team and the California Highway Patrol arrived to appraise the driver's condition. Deputies held onto the man for nearly 45 minutes before search and rescue team members were able to rappel down and save him, according to Brink.

The driver, a 21 year old Highland Park resident, suffered trauma and internal injuries and was airlifted to a hospital, and the passenger, also 21 from Los Angeles, was taken for treatment of possible internal injuries, according to Brink.

The deputies were treated for minor cuts and scrapes, according to Brink.