Pickup truck flies off highway, lands in Pacific Ocean

Posted: Dec 3, 2012 12:04 PM by Katherine Worsham, KSBY News
Updated: Dec 3, 2012 3:57 PM

The California Highway Patrol says seat belts saved the lives of two people involved in a major crash on Friday.

Officers say the driver of a Nissan Frontier was speeding at more than 100 MPH during a heavy downpour around 8:00 PM on November 30th.

The driver lost control and the truck spun out onto the right shoulder of Highway 101, just south of Refugio Road.

Officers say the truck was going so fast, it continued up the embankment protecting the railroad tracks and became airborne.

The truck then continued across the bicycle path between El Capitan and Refugio State Beaches and fell about 250 feet off a cliff onto the beach below.

It landed on its roof, with the back end in the water.

The driver was found with a nearly amputated left arm and internal injuries.

The passenger suffered major injuries to his head and face.

The CHP says their seat belts prevented them from being ejected and suffering potentially fatal injuries in the crash.

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