Four occupants of a Tesla survived a serious fall off a cliff in the United States. Rescuers said it was a "miracle" that a four-year-old girl, a nine-year-old boy and two adults survived after their car fell more than 76 meters off a cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway.

As reported by the Associated Press news agency, among others, the accident happened near the area in Northern California known as Devil's Slide, which is known for fatal accidents.

The Tesla sedan had veered off the highway and hit a ledge before rolling over a couple of times. The completely wrecked car landed on its wheels just meters from the surf, where it got stuck on a cliff.

The Devil's Slide is a steep, rocky, and winding stretch of coast about 15 miles south of San Francisco that runs between Pacifica and Montara. Only rarely are there any survivors in accidents of this kind. "We go there all the time to recover cars that have fallen over the cliff and there are never any survivors. This was an absolute miracle," said Biran Pottenger, chief of operations for the local fire department. "Each of us was shocked when we saw movement coming out of the windshield."

The rescue efforts lasted several hours. Because the victims were trapped in the car, they had to be cut out by firefighters. However, they were all awake and responsive and were transported by helicopter to nearby hospitals, it said. The children suffered only minor injuries. They were more scared than injured," said Pottenger. The two adults, however, were seriously injured. On Monday, their condition was initially classified as critical.

It is not yet clear why the car left the roadway. According to initial investigations, the California Highway Patrol does not assume that the Tesla was in autopilot or full self-driving mode at the time.

Quelle: Associated Press