Mazda driver flees police, somehow falls off cliff

California police witnessed a bizarre series of events Monday involving a Mazda driver who seemed hell-bent on turning a routine traffic accident into a movie spectacle. The saga began with a fence collision and a quick getaway, then escalated as police evaded police and ended with the car careening off a cliff onto a beach. Miraculously, the occupants of the Mazda survived the fall and, despite serious injuries, are expected to recover.

According to the Carlsbad Police Department, an officer saw the Mazda crash into a fence in the 2400 block of Impala Drive around 4 p.m. Authorities said the driver “recklessly fled the scene,” so officers attempted a traffic stop. However, the driver did not stop. Just west of Encinas Boulevard, police actually stopped the pursuit for safety reasons.

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The driver, apparently unaware of this, then drove off a cliff in the 5500 block of Carlsbad Road. Police immediately called emergency services and then walked down the cliff to provide life-saving measures. NBC San Diego spoke with a local who witnessed part of the chase.

“When I saw him, I initially thought it was a regular traffic stop, but when I saw four police cars following him, I thought, ‘This is definitely something different,'” the person said. “I saw the car go off the cliff. Honestly, it sounded like an explosion. It was similar to fireworks. It was just a loud bang. It sounded like a wave breaking – a really hard wave. It was crazy.”

Rescue crews were able to free the driver and take them to hospital with life-threatening injuries. At this stage they are expected to survive. It’s unclear what causes drivers to make so many bad choices. Interestingly, police do not believe at this stage that drugs or alcohol were involved. What’s clear is that Mazda did an excellent job of protecting the driver and keeping them alive until rescuers arrived.

Photo Credit: CBS 8 San Diego