A man suffered major injuries late Saturday night when he fell about 40 feet off the Isla Vista bluffs and landed on the beach rocks below, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

At 10:53 p.m., personnel from the Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Office and American Medical Response were dispatched to the incident on the 6500 block of Del Playa, fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said. 

They determined that the man had fallen from a bluff-top patio, Safechuck added. 

Rescuers secured the patient in a litter basket and carried him up beach access stairs to a waiting ambulance.

He was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. His name and details on his condition were not available.

Over the years, the Isla Vista community has seen a number of cliff falls resulting in death or serious injuries, sparking efforts to reduce the danger.

While Santa Barbara City College‘s fall semester classes started Aug. 25, the UC Santa Barbara students’ move-in and Week of Welcome activities begin this week. UCSB’s fall classes begin Sept. 25.

Second District county Supervisor Laura Capps called the latest incident “another terrifying reminder of how dangerous these cliffs can be. 

“With the school year beginning next week, it’s critical that all — landlords, tenants, county agencies, UCSB, SBCC, IVCSD, and the entire community — work together now to strengthen cliff safety. I am praying for this man’s full recovery,” Capps said Sunday. 

It’s been three months since a fall from the bluffs last left someone with critical injuries.

In mid-June, a UCSB student, Luke Ogburn, suffered multiple injuries after tumbling from the bluffs, leading his employer, Bagel Cafe, to spearhead fundraising efforts to help defray medical and other expenses.

Ogburn’s incident reportedly marked  the first major cliff fall since April 2024, when UCSB alum Jacob Parker died after falling from the cliffs on the 6600 block of Del Playa Drive.

There have been 14 known fatalities since the 1990s as a result of cliff falls in Isla Vista. 

The death of 19-year-old Santa Barbara City College student Benny Schurmer in September 2023 led to the county Board of Supervisors raising fence heights along the bluffs.

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