Imagine that you’re driving along from Oregon to Southern California on Highway 1 on your way to visit your sister. You’re having the time of your life because you get to enjoy some of the loveliest scenery along the way. What could possibly go wrong? Then, something actually does go wrong. Angela Hernandez was driving her Jeep along Highway 1 when an animal crossed the road. Panicked, she decided to do what most people would do, which is to swerve off the road in order to avoid hurting the poor defenseless creature. Unfortunately, this caused her to lose control of her vehicle. When she woke up, she was surprised to find that she was alive, but not by much, and there was no one around who could help her.She took a couple of photos on her way to her potential final destination. Little did she know that an encounter with an animal on the road would cause her to drive off a cliff. But surprisingly, her story didn’t end there.
Her sister, Isabel, created a video that was shared on KRON 4 News. In it, she asked for help in finding Angela, who was on her way to visit her when she disappeared somewhere in the Bay Area without a trace.
What Isabel and the rest of the family didn’t know was that Angela was alive, but in a dire predicament and she needed help. But unfortunately, the odds of anyone actually finding her in time were not in Angela’s favor.
The accident happened around noon on July 6, and she didn’t remember much after swerving off the road, including the fall, which was around 250 feet. “The only thing I really remember after that was waking up. I was still in my car and I could feel water rising over my knees.”
It was still daylight outside, but she was more concerned with the pain in her head. “My head hurt and when I touched it, I found blood on my hands.” But that wasn’t the only issue she had to deal with.
Without power, she couldn’t use the automatic systems to roll down the windows and escape. So, she took off her seatbelt, grabbed a multi-tool kit near her front seat and tried smashing the driver-side window with it.
She swam to the shore but lost consciousness. When she woke up, she looked around and saw that the sun was still out. Eventually, she realized what had happened and tried to survive on her own. She wrote on Facebook, “I found a 10-inch black hose that seemed to have fallen off of my vehicle during the crash. It fit perfectly in the front pocket of my sweater, so I kept it there. I walked farther south down the beach than I ever had before and heard a dripping sound. I looked up and saw a huge patch of moss with water dripping down from it. I caught the water in my hands and tasted it. It was fresh!!!! I collected as much as I could in my little hose and drank from it for maybe an hour.” Fortunately, after seven days, Chelsea Moore and her husband, Chad, spotted her.
She had wrestled tiny crabs, climbed rocks and tried yelling off the top of her lungs to get the attention of people driving across the cliff. On her final morning, she woke up and saw Chelsea. Her husband, Chad, gave her water while Chelsea went to get help. Eventually, a rescue team arrived.
At the hospital, she learned how serious her injuries were. She had suffered a brain hemorrhage, she had 4 fractured ribs, breaks and fractures of her collarbone. She also had ruptured blood vessels in both eyes, a collapsed lung, and intense sunburns on her face, hands, and feet.
Angela posted to Facebook,” I feel like I have everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m sitting here in the hospital, laughing with my sister until she makes broken bones hurt. I’ve met some of the most beautiful human beings that I think I’ll ever meet in my entire life. I’ve experienced something so unique and terrifying to me that I can’t imagine that there isn’t a bigger purpose for me in this life. I don’t know, you guys, life is incredible.”
Her loved ones were devastated when they didn’t know where she was. But this strong woman survived a crash and some serious injuries with virtually no resources until help arrived. Angela Hernandez is truly one amazing individual
