For the second time in two days, a college-age victim was found with serious head injuries on the beach below the Isla Vista cliffs this weekend, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
A group of people walking on the beach discovered a man unconscious with major head injuries consistent with a fall from the cliffs just after midnight Saturday, county fire spokesman Mike Eliason said Monday.
No one witnessed the fall or knew how long he had been there, Eliason said, noting the victim was found in surf about 100 yards east of the El Embarcadero staircase down to the beach.
The man — in the age range of 18 to 24 — was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with critical injuries, he said.
The victim was discovered a little more than 24 hours after a young man suffered serious injuries Thursday night after a 30- to 40-foot fall from a balcony.
Both incidents also coincided with the first full week of fall quarter classes at nearby UC Santa Barbara.
Eliason said county fire crews responded to 28 medical calls — mostly alcohol related — from 8:30 p.m. Friday to 3:30 a.m. Saturday.
He called the cliff falls “unnecessary injuries.”
“I know that they want to have a good time, but they have to exercise some prudent caution,” Eliason said. “Try to be as safe as possible if you’re out near the cliffs.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.