SANTA PAULA : 2 Hikers Injured in 2 Days at ‘Punchbowl’

Two hikers were injured on consecutive days in a gorge north of Santa Paula, authorities said Monday. Both had leapt from a high ledge into a pool of water in the area known as the “punchbowl.”

The weekend accidents, neither of which resulted in serious injuries, occurred in a pool of water bordered by rock walls rising above Santa Clara Creek. Authorities say it is the most common rescue site in Ventura County because of diving injuries.

On Saturday, an unidentified 14-year-old girl suffered a broken ankle after jumping about 25 feet into the body of water, Matthews said. He said search-and-rescue volunteers carried her more than a mile down a rocky canyon before she was transported to Santa Paula Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Jered Saindon, a freshman at nearby Thomas Aquinas College, suffered minor back injuries after jumping about 30 feet into the pool about 5 p.m. Sunday, Sheriff’s Sgt. Earl Matthews said.

Saindon, 20, of Seymore, Wis., was taken by friends to nearby Big Cone Camp, not far from the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Los Padres National Forest, Matthews said.

Using a four-wheel-drive vehicle, the search-and-rescue team took a dirt road to the camp and transferred Saindon to the college. He said Saindon did not require hospital treatment.

“We go there more than any other individual place (for rescues),” said Matthews, a search-and-rescue supervisor.

“There’s nothing wrong with the canyon. It’s just the way people act up there,” he added. “It’s a rugged and beautiful area, and people should respect it. But they often don’t.”