Man lucky to be alive after falling 100 feet off cliff when it crumbled beneath him
Authorities advised "avoid cliff edges as they are unstable."
A man is lucky to be alive after he fell about 100 feet off of a cliff edge when it reportedly crumbled beneath him as he walked on it.
The incident occurred at around dawn when the unnamed man was walking along cliffs in Moss Beach in San Mateo County, California -- approximately 22 miles south of San Francisco -- and the cliff edge gave way beneath his feet causing him to fall an estimated 100 feet, according to CAL FIRE San Mateo.
But at 8:30 a.m., a woman who was walking nearby heard the man's calls for help and was able to alert authorities.
Coastside Fire subsequently arrived and were able to pull the man to safety within 22 minutes of their arrival, CAL FIRE San Mateo said in a tweet along with a short video of the miraculous rescue.
In the video, about a dozen officers can be seen pulling a series of ropes anchored by a fire engine as the victim, who is accompanied by another officer, are hoisted up the side of the cliff. As they approach the top of the cliff, the unidentified man who fell can be heard communicating with authorities about his condition but appears unsteady on his feet as he is pulled to safety. Authorities did not disclose his current condition.
While the man appeared to be okay at the end of the rescue, CAL FIRE San Mateo had one piece of advice following the incident: "Avoid cliff edges as they are unstable."
