Rock Climber Killed Trying to Scale Cliff
A Taft man died in a rock-climbing accident in the Los Padres National Forest Monday after he fell while trying to scale a 250-foot-high cliff, authorities said.
The Ventura County Sheriff Department’s search-and-rescue unit later successfully plucked the victim’s brother from the same cliff where he apparently was stranded, said Lt. Mike Gullon. The identities of the two Taft residents were not available late Monday.
According to a preliminary account, the two men--both believed to be in their 20s--were attempting to climb the Sespe Wall, a sheer, 250-foot precipice in the Sespe Gorge, an isolated area that is popular with rock climbers.
One brother nearly made it to the top of the cliff before he fell, Gullon said. Sheriff’s deputies were summoned to the gorge shortly after 4 p.m., when they received a report of an unconscious fall victim.
After the accident, the victim’s brother remained 135 feet up the side of the cliff, until rescuers reached him with the aid of a helicopter, Gullon said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
