Pickup plunges over cliff at Sonoma Coast, nearly hits children on beach

A pickup plunged over a cliff at Duncans Cove north of Bodega Bay on Saturday, narrowly missing a group of children playing on the beach approximately 100 feet below, a fire official said.

The small truck went over the cliff at about 1 p.m. and tumbled down the hill, landing upright on its wheels near a staircase from the beach to the top of the coastal bluff, Bodega Bay Fire Capt. Justin Fox said.

The children were the first to make contact with the driver, Fox said. He appeared to have suffered a head injury but survived the fall, which caused airbags inside the truck to deploy, Fox said.

The unidentified man was still inside the pickup with his seatbelt on when firefighters from Bodega Bay and Monte Rio arrived. The CHP, Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies and California State Parks personnel also responded.

Crews strapped the man to a backboard and the sheriff’s helicopter crew lifted him to the parking area above the beach. A REACH helicopter flew him to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

His injuries did not appear life-threatening.

“He looked pretty good for doing what he did,” Fox said.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 707-521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.