A 40-year-old woman who suddenly veered from the fast lane on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway across all lanes of traffic at a high rate of speed, then plunged through a dense brush-covered embankment and plummeted about 100 feet, suffered only minor injuries Monday afternoon.
The driver was lucky not only due to her relative lack of injury, but also because several motorists saw the crash and were able to pinpoint the dense area she plunged into for first responders, Long Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Frank Hayes.
"It was so grown over that had they not seen where she went it could have taken us much longer to find her," Hayes said, noting the bushes and trees actually closed around the point where the woman's vehicle punched through the brush.
The crash occurred shortly after 3 p.m. on the south side of the freeway near Lakewood Boulevard, Hayes said.
Fire crews had to make a difficult descent down to the woman's SUV, where they found her with minor injuries. However, she was taken by paramedics to a local hospital due to the damage caused to her car and the question of whether a medical episode or fatigue may have triggered her erratic driving, Hayes said.
California Highway Patrol units also responded to the scene and re-directed traffic to clear the way for rescue crews, Hayes said.
The crash is currently under investigation, a CHP spokesperson said.
For more information and pictures of the rescue check out the LBFD's Web site at http://firechannel.org/blog/?p=1882
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