A driver was hospitalized Wednesday morning following a dramatic crash off Mulholland Drive in Studio City, where her vehicle plummeted approximately 100'-150' down a cliff. The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) responded to the incident at 8529 Mulholland Drive around 7:20 AM, according to the LAFD alert.
The rescue operation quickly began to unfold as air resources were deployed to lower a paramedic rescuer to assess the trapped patient, a 30-year-old woman. Ground teams made their way to the crashed car to begin to carefully stabilize and extricate the woman from the precarious positioning of the vehicle, which had landed on its side. This information was detailed in the official LAFD alerts and echoed by NBC Los Angeles reporting.
The operation reached a critical juncture at around 8:10 AM when the patient was successfully extricated from the vehicle in serious but stable condition. The LAFD used air resources to hoist and transport her directly to a local trauma center, as noted in an updated alert by the LAFD. Heavy rescue companies remained on the scene to facilitate the removal of the vehicle.
The incident significantly affected traffic in the Studio City area, causing backups along Mulholland Drive. The LAFD, in their update, encouraged motorists to find "alternate routes" as the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) was called to help manage the flow of vehicles around the area of the incident. With the emergency operations drawing attention and resources, the impact on the morning commute was notably disrupted. Local residents and commuters are likely to have seen delays as a result of the rescue efforts.
