A missing woman from Oregon was found at the bottom of a Big Sur cliff on Friday, CNN reports.
Angela Hernandez, 22, disappeared in early July while on her way to visit her sister. Her trip from Portland to Lancaster, California, was cut short when she dropped off the map. She had stopped in a parking lot to sleep before continuing her trip at 8 a.m., and this was the last anyone heard of her.
Family and friends tried desperately to reach her, but her texts and posts to social media stopped. According to close friends and relatives, she was a fan of social media and her lack of communication was strange. Authorities were notified of her disappearance on July 6, and they spotted her vehicle on a camera in Monterey County. They began their investigation in this area, but aerial searches were prevented by the heavy fog.
On July 13, two hikers stumbled upon Hernandez’s crash site. Angela had swerved to avoid an animal, and her Jeep crashed over 200 feet into the rocky shore below.
Miraculously, Hernandez had survived the incident, and persevered through sheer force of will. The crash had injured her shoulder, but she was able to escape the partially-submerged car and make her way along the shore. However, the remote, inaccessible location of her crash made it difficult to find help.
According to KGO-TV , Angela had managed to survive for an entire week by scavenging her wrecked SUV and siphoning water with a radiator hose. When police found her, she was walking and talking. Rescuers used ropes to hoist her back up the cliff, and she was immediately taken to a hospital.
Angela is on her way to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/xwH9tBG3ji
— Monterey Co Sheriff (@MCoSheriff) July 14, 2018
Angela’s family had posted a $10,000 reward for any information leading to her safe return, and were relieved to hear that she was found alive.
“My sister is alive, she’s talking, and she’s still trying to come to understand everything,” Isabel Hernandez, Angela’s sister, posted on Facebook this Friday. “She’s a fighter and she fought this long and she will continue to. It’s not going to be an easy recovery. I hope everyone will have patience for her and her recovery.”
Angela, an aspiring musician and guitarist, has assisted with disaster relief in the past. Her strong will allowed her to work in desolate situations, and aided her in surviving these harsh conditions. She is currently safe, stable, and recovering. Isabel thanks everyone that has aided in her return, and is just happy to have her sister back.
