Edhat Staff
An elderly woman fell from the More Mesa cliff in Goleta on Tuesday afternoon.
At 12:41 p.m., Santa Barbara County Firefighters responded to the area east of Austin Road.
The woman fell approximately 80-feet from the bluff landing to the beach below when a bystander called 9-1-1, reports Captain Scott Safechuck.
Firefighters used stair access to reach the woman and transported her to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital by a ground ambulance.
The status of her condition is unknown at this time.
This incident marks the third cliff fall on Santa Barbara’s South Coast within four days.
On Saturday, 23-year-old Jacob Parker fell from an Isla Vista cliffside and was pronounced dead. Parker graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2023 and was visiting during the university’s alumni weekend celebration.
Parker’s death marked the 14th cliff-related fatality in Isla Vista in the past 20 years and the third within the last three years. In 2022, another UCSB alum, 25-year-old Chasen Alibrando from Santa Monica, suffered a fatal fall from the bluffs near the 6600 block of Del Playa Drive during the All-Gaucho Reunion. The following September, 19-year-old Santa Barbara City College student Benjamin “Benny” Schurmer also died after falling from a cliff in Isla Vista.
Later on Saturday evening a man fell nearly 50-feet down a hillside near Painted Cave. The man was uninjured and transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for a psychological evaluation.
This is a developing story.
“Stay away from the edge of a giant cliff” – it applies to all ages.
How old is “elderly?”
Looks like the Fire Department didn’t specify.
KSBY reported that she is “in her 60’s”. That’s an appropriate way to state it. Not the undefined “elderly.” When I was younger, it was immobility and gray hair that garnered the adjective “elderly”; a look, not an age. Still, IMHO, a useless and inappropriate term.
Now that I am in my 70’s, just back from a bike ride, I’m pretty sure I am not “elderly.” But if you want to give me a *senior* discount, I’m good with that. It’s not an “elderly” discount, right?
From the county fire department twitter post that was cited in this story:
“Scott Safechuck @SBCFireInfo
80’ Fall from Moore Mesa Cliff: Elderly woman fell from bluff landing on beach below, West of Austin Rd, Goleta. Bystander on beach called 911. Fire crews used stair access, to reach patient, transported to SBCH by ground ambulance w/fire medic. CT 12:41pm”
Why is the term “elderly” even needed? “Woman falls 80 feet…” is clear enough.
Offshore winds could include a gust strong enough to push someone over. A young couple got blown off a cliff at the Grand Canyon a few years ago.
Poor woman. I hope she’s going to be okay.