Sheriff's Dept. Rescues Woman from 500-Foot Cliff in Topanga

The Sheriff's Air-5 Rescue crew rescued a 24-year-old woman who was clinging to the side of a cliff 500 feet above the canyon floor in Topanga on Thursday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

In a press release, officials said the hiker was trapped for more than two hours in a seated position with "one hand grasping the sandstone cliff side." The woman and her climbing partner were attempting to scale down Eagle Rock at Topanga State Park, the LASD said.

The woman's climbing partner was able to climb up the cliff, but due to the lack of cellphone reception in the area, the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station was notified nearly two hours later, said officials. In the meantime, the man managed to make a weak safety line in an attempt to give the woman something to hang onto.

The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Department released helmet-cam footage from the rescue. Click here to watch the video.

“We were about an hour from darkness,” said Sgt. Phil Barth, Sheriff’s Air-5 Rescue crew chief. “At night, we have to wear night vision goggles, which limits your field of vision to about a third and is 10 times as difficult for us to make rescues.”

As the crew lowered a deputy to rescue the woman, he began to spin from the cable beneath the helicopter due to the wind and conditions created by the helicopter rotors, the LASD said.

“We have to be spot-on, especially with someone hanging from a cliff like that. If not exactly right, we could accidentally knock her off the cliff," said Barth. "The teamwork on these missions is essential and we all depend on each other.”

Once the spinning stopped, the deputy was able to get ahold of the cliff and was able to reach the woman, placing a safety harness around her waist. The deputy said it was a bit tough to get the woman to let go of the cliff.

“It’s understandable and common given the circumstances,” said Deputy Desmarteau. “There is no surviving that fall.”

The crew was able to hoist the woman into the helicopter where she thanked the deputies and gave each one of them a big hug, said LASD officials.

The woman suffered minor injuries, according to the LASD.

The LA Sheriff's Department offered the following tips to stay safe while hiking in the mountains:

• Be prepared when you "go into the backcountry."
• Don't overestimate your abilities.
• Tell people where you are going.
• Don't count on cellphone service when you are in isolated places.
• You may also plot your hike by filling out a Hiking Plan Sheet, provided by the LA Sheriff's Department.

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