Youth Critically Injured in Fall at Inspiration Point : Accident: Victim was trying to scale popular cliff at Corona del Mar State Beach when he tumbled about 20 feet.

A teen-ager suffered serious head and back injuries Sunday when he fell about 20 feet down a rocky bank after trying to scale Inspiration Point just south of Corona del Mar State Beach.

Dung Lee, 17, of Anaheim was reported in critical condition Sunday night at Hoag Hospital. Lee and three friends had spent much of the day sunbathing near a lifeguard tower when he apparently decided to climb the popular cliff on his own about 4:30 p.m.

“He fell right on the rocks,” said Nathan Camp, 20, a lifeguard who was the first person to help the young man. “He’s really lucky to be alive.”

Immediately after the youth tumbled down the cliff, his friends, who also had been climbing on the jagged rocks, ran to Lifeguard Station No. 5 screaming, “Our friend fell! He’s hurt!”

Several lifeguards responded, including one in a patrol jeep, while several more in a pair of rescue boats moved in to fill lifeguard stations vacated by the incident. Although the rocks Lee fell from run to the water’s edge, his fall stopped several feet from the ocean.

It is not uncommon for people to climb the rocks just off the south end of the main beach, near Narcissus Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, but marine safety officer Eric Bauer said this is the first incident of its type since a suicide attempt from Inspiration Point about 25 years ago.

“Any kind of heights is going to be dangerous, especially climbing around on rocks where you can lose your footing,” Bauer said. “We really try to discourage people climbing there, but I suppose it’s not illegal if they want to do it.”

Lee was conscious when rescuers approached him, but witnesses said he appeared to be having convulsions. Bauer said, however, that the youth was able to answer questions about his injuries.

“He was alert of who he was, where he was and what had happened,” Bauer said.