Crime & Safety
Motorist Plunges 150 Feet Downslope From Highway 243, High-Angle Rescue
The unidentified motorist was alone and sustained moderate injuries in the Saturday afternoon crash near the Poppet Flats turnoff, according to Cal Fire. Rescuers used a backboard to bring the injured person back up to the highway.
A motorist drove off Highway 243 in the San Jacinto Mountains and plunged about 150 feet downslope Saturday afternoon near the Poppet Flats turnoff, a Cal Fire spokeswoman said.
The crash was reported at 1:48 p.m. in the vicinity of 19401 Highway 243, between Poppet Flats Road and Lake Fulmor, according to Melody Hendrickson of Cal Fire-Riverside County.
Four engine crews totaling 16 firefighters responded.
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"The first arriving engine company reported one vehicle 150 feet over the side," Hendrickson said in a report. "The solo patient was extricated from the vehicle and rescued via backboard up to the top of the hill."
The high-angle rescue took time. Hendrickson filed her report after 3 p.m.
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An ambulance crew took the injured motorist to a local hospital with moderate injuries, Hendrickson said.
Agencies that responded included the California Highway Patrol, the Idyllwild Fire Protection District, San Bernardino National Forest personnel and Cal Fire, Hendrickson said.
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