Car goes off road; occupant found dead

11 April 2004

Staff report

A car plummeted 150 feet off a windy mountain road near the Juncal Campground on Saturday night, killing what appeared to be the driver, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department reports.

Details were sketchy, but according to department spokesman Capt. Charlie Johnson, the vehicle apparently went off the road around 9 p.m. and rescuers were called by someone at the Pendola Campground.

A coalition of forces, including Santa Barbara city firefighters and the Los Padres National Forest Search and Rescue Team, assisted by a Mercury Air helicopter from Ventura providing lighting from above, arrived in the backcountry behind Montecito to help, only to find the occupant dead.