A 19-year-old man suffered major head and chest injuries after being hit with a large boulder during a partial cave-in in the More Mesa area Saturday night, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
Four college-aged students were in some type of cave on the cliff face between the bluffs and the beach and there was a partial collapse, firefighter Paul Christensen said.
He said the victim was struck by a boulder weighing 100-200 pounds, and suffered major head and chest trauma as a result.
The incident was reported at 7:55 p.m. and two engine companies and a truck company responded to the scene near Orchid Drive and Austin Road. Firefighters conducted a rope rescue to bring the patient up to the bluffs.
County firefighters were assisted by Sheriff’s Department personnel, Christensen said.
The rope rescue operation took about 90 minutes and the victim was transported via American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The man’s name was not disclosed, and no further details were available on his condition early Sunday.
— Noozhawk news editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.