4 in Family Die in 700-Foot Car Plunge Near Big Bear
A Fontana couple and their two small children were killed when their automobile swerved off Rim of the World Highway and plunged 700 feet to the bottom of a canyon in the Arctic Circle area, three miles west of Big Bear Lake, San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies said Sunday.
The victims were identified as Paul Hier, 25, his wife, Linda, 23, and their children, Joshua, 3, and Jennifer, 10 months.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Penrod said relatives of the Hiers told investigators the family had left Fontana on Friday night, intending to spend a pre-Christmas weekend holiday in the mountains.
Apparently, Penrod said, the car went out of control while making a moderate turn on a four-lane stretch of California 18, west of the Big Bear Dam sometime between sunset and 9 p.m. Friday.
The wreckage was discovered the next morning, but could not be recovered until late Saturday night. All the victims were believed to have died on impact, Penrod said.
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