One flown to hospital after vehicle crashes off Pacific Coast Highway

A crash on Pacific Coast Highway that sent a vehicle off the road Monday morning injured two people, including one who was airlifted from the scene, and closed the road for a time.

The single-vehicle crash was reported on the coastal route around 9:48 a.m. at Deer Creek Road in Ventura County. The road is north of Neptune's Net restaurant and south of Mugu Rock.

The vehicle, which was traveling southbound, ended up over the edge of the road on the beach but landed on its wheels, said Scott Dettorre, a Ventura County Fire Department spokesman and retired captain. California Highway Patrol reports indicated it was an SUV.

The highway was shut down for a short time as the county's Air Squad 8 helicopter crew arrived to fly one patient to Ventura County Medical Center, Dettorre said. A single lane was open for a period, with traffic alternating in each direction, as crews worked the scene.

A ladder truck from Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu was used in a crane-like fashion to hoist the other patient back up to the highway, he said. That person was taken by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center.

Firefighters described the injuries as moderate to possibly severe, he said. The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known. 

It was the second crash near that intersection in less than 24 hours.

Gretchen Wenner covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at gretchen.wenner@vcstar.com or 805-437-0270.