Woman dies after falling 150 feet off crumbling cliff in Santa Cruz County
A woman died Monday after she fell 150 feet from a seaside bluff in Santa Cruz County when the ground beneath her crumbled, authorities said.
Jennifer Diaz Ocampo and her friends were visiting the cliff north of Davenport just after 4 p.m., said Sgt. Chris Clark, spokesman for Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
Ocampo, 20, was standing about a foot away from the edge and peering over the side when the cliff — battered by winter storms — collapsed, he said.
“There just wasn’t support there to hold her weight,” Clark said.
The San Jose resident fell onto a remote beach that was only accessible by helicopter or water.
When lifeguards swam to her, Clark said, she was talking and moving her arms.
Soon after, Ocampo was hoisted onto a helicopter, but she died on the way to the trauma center, he said.
Ocampo and her friends would have likely walked past a sign advising them to stay back from the steep cliff, Clark said.
“You just never know what the situation could be or whether the ground could hold you,” he said. “You have to be extremely careful.”
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