Driver Dies After Vehicle Plunges Off Santa Cruz Wharf
Firefighters and lifeguards conduct underwater rescue; dog survives
A man died Sunday morning after a minivan went over the side of the Santa Cruz Wharf and into the bay, prompting a large multi-agency water rescue effort.
The incident was reported at 9:44 a.m., according to Santa Cruz Fire Battalion Chief Josh Coleman, who said the vehicle drove off the wharf about two-thirds of the way out, near Marini’s Candies.
“Units arrived on scene to find the missing section of railing here, which was verified with bystanders stating that they had seen a car drive off the end of the wharf,” Coleman said. “It was submerged beneath the surface.”
Coleman said lifeguards immediately entered the water at the reported location. “After approximately ten minutes of doing a search in very unfavorable conditions, limited visibility, approximately 30 feet of water, they located the vehicle on its roof with all the windows intact and the subject inside unconscious.”
Thirteen lifeguards and firefighters plus two personal watercraft, worked to reach the vehicle. “The responders were able to break the window of the car and extricate the single subject inside,” Coleman said. The victim was brought to the surface and transported to the Santa Cruz Harbor, where paramedics were waiting. “The patient was transported to Dominican Hospital. They are deceased,” he said.
Coleman said that during the response, “a dog was found in the water. We don’t know the details of how the dog was brought to the wharf, but the dog is safe and with County Animal Control now.”
The rescue took place under difficult conditions, with what Coleman described as “significant swell” and “zero visibility at the bottom of the ocean.” He said, “I don’t know if too many people would want to jump in and swim to the bottom down there on a day like this and do what they have to do. It’s a testament to the quality of the responders that we have and their bravery and their sacrifice in doing something incredibly hard.”
Marine Safety Captain David Bodine explained that the dive operation followed a national safety standard. “A Code X is a countrywide standard that the USA dictates where divers dive for an hour — that’s the survivability window,” Bodine said. “Once we got the first victim at approximately 33 minutes, we didn’t know if there were possibly other victims. We kept diving until the first diver dove to an hour. Then once that ends, it becomes a recovery.”
Bodine said lifeguards were able to respond quickly. “We were up-staffing lifeguards. We had four lifeguards at Lifeguard Headquarters, which is located here at the Santa Cruz Wharf, and we were on scene within three minutes and getting right in the water.”
Responding agencies included Santa Cruz Fire Department, Central Fire, Scotts Valley Fire, California State Parks, Harbor Patrol, American Medical Response, Santa Cruz Police Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Coleman said the vehicle was recovered “with coordination with a heavy wrecker” and brought safely to the surface. “There was limited environmental impact; however, all of the state, county, and federal agencies have been notified.”
“The fire department activity is complete at this point,” he said. “We were able to successfully get the victim out, make sure there were no other victims, and then work with the Harbor Patrol, Coast Guard, and our allied agencies to get the vehicle in a safe spot, address a few environmental concerns. At this point it’s a police investigation.”
Coleman confirmed that wharf repairs will be made in the coming days.
The driver’s identity has not yet been released. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Santa Cruz Police Department.
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