A seriously injured man was rescued from the beach below More Mesa near Goleta on Wednesday afternoon in an operation made more difficult by the remote location.
Santa Barbara County firefighters and sheriff’s deputies were dispatched at about 12:25 p.m. to what initially was reported as someone who had fallen or jumped from the bluffs at the More Mesa Preserve.
Emergency personnel struggled to gain access to the patient, who was on the beach roughly midway between Mockingbird Lane and Orchid Drive, according to emergency radio traffic.
They eventually were able to reach the patient, and determined that he had not fallen from the cliff, but was suffering from some self-inflicted injuries.
Because of the location, it was determined that a helicopter was the best option for getting the man to the hospital, according to fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli.
Santa Barbara County’s helicopter was not available, so an airship from Ventura County was brought in, Bertucelli added.
It landed on the beach to pick up the patient, who was flown to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The patient’s name and details on his condition were not available.
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— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.