Emergency crews rescued two members of an Oceanside family from a deep ravine about a mile northwest of Casino Pauma Friday and recovered the body of a third.
The 30-year-old man who had been driving the Subaru sedan made an emergency call about 6:15 a.m. to report that he had gotten into an accident during the night on State Route 76. He was unsure where though because he had been knocked unconscious during the wreck, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP and sheriff’s deputies launched a search for the vehicle, finding it about a half hour later.
The Suburu had gone roughly 300 feet down an embankment near Bodie Boulevard in Pala, on the grounds of Wilderness Gardens Preserve, CHP public-affairs Officer Mark Latulippe said.
Near the crumpled car were a boy, 11, and his father, both seriously injured. They also found the body of the child’s mother, 30.
Medics took the father and son to a nearby airstrip, where air ambulances transported them to Palomar Medical Center and Rady Children’s Hospital. They were expected to recover from their injuries, Latulippe said.
The man told investigators the solo crash occurred late Thursday as the family headed home from a trip to Palomar Mountain. It was unclear why the sedan veered off the south side of the two-lane, back-country highway and tumbled down the hillside.
The crash ejected all three occupants from the sedan.
Investigators do not believe alcohol played a role in the fatal accident, the spokesman said.
– City News Service