Woman rescued after driving off steep embankment

PORTER RANCH, Calif. -- Firefighters pulled a woman from a car after she drove it down a steep embankment in Porter Ranch on Tuesday.

Fire officials said the Lexus sedan dropped approximately 150 feet into a ravine, trapping the woman inside. The incident occurred around 8 a.m. in the 18000 block of Sesnon Boulevard, just west of Porter Ridge Park.

"As it went over the cliff, it was tumbling down, and it was embedded into a little ditch area, which secured the car. We were able to make the rescue," described Battalion Chief Mark Akahoshi with the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The car landed in the ditch on its roof, but if it wasn't for that ditch, the crash could have been much worse.

"There were witnesses that saw the car drive off the side, and luckily, one of our witnesses, our civilians, went down there and tried to render some first aid and made the 911 call," Akahoshi said.

The LAFD's special operations team, search and rescue, first responders and heavy rescue were all out on the scene arriving within minutes.

Crews freed the driver from the vehicle, carried her a short distance, strapped her on a backboard and took her to an awaiting ambulance. She was treated on scene and transported to an area hospital for further evaluation.

The woman's condition was not immediately known, but fire officials said she sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Firefighters said she was the only person in the car.

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.