Driver falls 150 feet and crashes on California state beach

Three men reportedly walked away from a crash Wednesday night in which the car drove off a cliff in Mendocino County.

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Three men were driving on Highway 1 around 9:40 p.m. near Van Damme State Park when the car went off the road and flipped over, CHP spokesperson Officer Olegario Marin told SFGATE. The 2005 Mercedes fell around 150 feet and landed on the beach close to the water.

The three people in the car fled the scene, the Redheaded Blackbelt reported, citing the CHP incident log. According to the outlet, the driver was allegedly speeding and crossing over the double yellow lines before the crash. 

Marin said the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

“They’re obviously going to look at a lot of factors, you know, tire friction marks, damage, damage to the vehicle, and all that to determine what exactly happened,” Marin said.

Emergency responders, State Parks and Cal Fire responded to the crash. Marin said there was originally thought to be a possible injury; however, there was only property damage. He said pieces of the guardrail blocked the southbound lane, but it is not clear whether that was caused by the crash or by something else.