SANTA CLARITA / ANTELOPE VALLEY : Motorist Killed as Car Plunges Into Canyon
An unidentified motorist was killed Saturday morning when his vehicle went off the Angeles Crest Highway and 500 feet down into a steep canyon near Palmdale, authorities said.
The accident occurred above Kratka Ridge Ski Area in Angeles National Forest, said John Camphouse, a member of the Montrose Search and Rescue Team, which handled the rescue for California Highway Patrol officers assigned to the Antelope Valley station.
Camphouse described the crash site, about 15 miles south of Palmdale, as an isolated area distinguished by rugged, very steep terrain. He said the elevation there is about 7,000 feet above sea level.
The unidentified victim was described as a white male in his 40s, said CHP Officer Frank Lewis.
Using a winch to lower rescue workers into the canyon, the body was placed in a stretcher and airlifted from the canyon by helicopter.
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