Local News in Brief : Santiago Peak : Mountain-Plunge Victims Identified

Two persons who died when a 4-wheel-drive vehicle plunged off Santiago Peak and rolled down the mountainside Sunday were identified as Leslie McPartland, 22, of Laguna Hills, and Thomas Griffin, 25, of El Toro.

A 23-year-old El Toro man who was a passenger in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle and who survived the plunge crawled from the wreckage Sunday night and hiked to a dirt road in search of help, according to Officer Keith Thornhill of the California Highway Patrol.

The survivor, Todd Buresh, was reported in stable condition Monday at Western Medical Center, Santa Ana, where he was being treated for cuts and bruises.

The three were traveling east on a rugged dirt trail when they missed a curve and their vehicle went over the edge of a cliff, Thornhill said. The vehicle rolled several times before coming to a rest on a steep incline about 500 feet down the mountainside. The accident is believed to have occurred around 6 p.m.

“It’s incredible that Buresh lived through that,” Thornhill said. “And then he hiked quite a distance. Our men had a tough time hiking it, using a rope to pull themselves up.”

The motorist who picked up Buresh drove him to the Silverado fire station, where the Orange County Fire Department and CHP were notified. Fire officials used an Anaheim police helicopter to locate the crash site Sunday night but deemed an attempted airlift too dangerous after dark.

Two paramedics remained with the bodies through the night. The bodies were cut from the vehicle Monday morning, and transported to the coroner’s office.