Sonoma Co. Deputy Rescues Boy, 6, Who Fell Down Coastal Cliff

THE SEA RANCH, CA — A Sonoma County sheriff's deputy is credited with the dramatic rescue Wednesday of a 6-year-old boy who became injured when he fell from a northern Sonoma County coastal bluff trail and landed about 20 feet down a rocky ledge near the water's edge, a sheriff's spokesman said.

The call came in shortly after 9 a.m., sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Crum said. The boy and his 9-year-old sister were hiking on a trail in The Sea Ranch when the boy slipped and fell, hurting his head and one of his arms.

"The boy’s sister witnessed the fall and went to a nearby home where she sought help from a resident who called 911," Crum said.

Deputy Greg Myers, a resident assigned as a patrol deputy for the area, quickly responded and located the girl, following as she led him to the edge of the cliff where her little brother had fallen.

"Deputy Myers observed that the boy was about 20 feet down, near the water’s edge and was getting hit by incoming waves," Crum said.

Myers climbed down the rocks and while on his stomach, was able "pull the completely soaked boy up by his arm," Crum said.

The deputy then carried the boy up a bluff to safety, where the injured 6-year-old was treated by waiting Cal Fire and Coastal Life Support medical personnel.

The boy was then taken by ambulance to a clinic in nearby Gualala "and is expected to be just fine after suffering a possible broken arm," Crum said.

The sheriff's office later determined the boy, his sister and their parents were visiting the Sonoma Coast from Belmont in San Mateo County, and were staying about a mile away from where the accident happened.

"Their parents were notified and didn’t realize their kids had gone so far away from the home," Crum said.