A car that snagged dangerously over beach huts on Meadfoot Beach in Torquay after crashing 100 feet into a cliff has been brought to safety.
Dramatic images of the Coast Guard cliff rescue team show the black SUV stopping and landing sideways in the trees above the beach huts.
A woman was rushed to the hospital after miraculously escaping her vehicle that somehow ran over the edge of St.
Read more: Follow the incident on our live blog
The driver then fell an estimated 15 meters down a fence behind the cabins in Torquay.
She was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance after receiving on-site treatment by paramedics from the Devon Air Ambulance and South Western Ambulance.
Black SUV is removed from the cliffs above Meadfoot Beach by crane
(Image: Edward Jackson)
The car was lifted by crane last night (Thursday, June 24th) around 5 p.m.
The alarm was triggered by paddleboarders and witnesses said people on the beach were initially confused as to where the woman had come from.
One beach hut owner said, “People heard you scream. She was very saddened and shocked by her car. Then I think she fell after getting out of the car. Little did we know the car crashed up on the street.
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“The poor woman – it’s amazing that she’s still alive.
Another witness said: “It was the paddleboarders at sea who saw what was happening and sounded the alarm. The woman was very distraught and shocked.”
After the car drove over the cliff at around 10:30 a.m., a comprehensive rescue operation was initiated.
A car drove over the cliff behind Meadfoot Beach in Torquay
(Image: Torbay Coast Guard rescue team)
A team of firefighters stabilized the car and supported the medical team.
The Torbay and Teignmouth Coast Guard rescue teams were deployed and a cliff expert checked the car to make sure there were no more casualties.
A spokesman said, “It’s a steep cliff, but not steep, with lots of bushes and undergrowth.
“Our job was to keep the area safe. After a stopping position was established, a cliff technician was dispatched to the car to check the area to make sure there were no other occupants and to observe the stability of the car.”
The RNLI’s Torbay inshore and offshore lifeboats were initially launched but stepped back when the location of the incident was determined.
Police blocked St. Mark’s Road, where the car drove over the cliff, and blocked the rear access to the beach huts below the car.
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