FILLMORE : Fall Leaves Victim Unconscious in Rain

A 59-year-old Fillmore man who fell 75 feet down a hill lay unconscious in the rain for most of Friday night and part of Saturday before he woke up and managed to climb partway up the hill, authorities said.

Jerry Mayers had been driving a medium-sized truck Friday evening on Grimes Canyon Road, south of Fillmore, when part of his vehicle went over the edge, said Ventura County Fire Department dispatcher Sam Meier.

As Mayers was getting out of the truck, he fell down the hill, Meier said.

Mayers tried to climb the steep hill when he regained consciousness Saturday morning, Meier said. “It was by inches he had to move because of the steepness of the edge,” Meier said. Mayers was about 25 feet from the top when his legs cramped up, Meier said.

A passing motorist saw him and called authorities about 1 p.m. Saturday, Meier said.

Mayers suffered only minor injuries, but because he was out in the rain all night, he was being treated for possible hypothermia at Santa Paula Memorial Hospital, Meier said. He was in fair condition Saturday, a nursing supervisor said.