Man Suffers Head Injury in 60-Foot Fall in Malibu Creek State Park

A 21-year-old Chatsworth man suffered a head injury Sunday in a fall at Malibu Creek State Park.

The rescue began at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, and was the second injury in Malibu Creek State Park in the past week, according to David Katz, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Malibu Search and Rescue. The Los Angeles County Fire Department and California State Parks also responded.

The man was injured in an area known as the "gorge," which is characterized by vehicle sized- boulders, a running stream, heavy poison oak and sheer cliff faces, Katz said.

L.A. County Fire Copter 12 lowered a paramedic, who secured the man and the copter hoisted him to safety and flew him to a nearby trauma center, according to Katz.

Malibu Search and Rescue personnel hiked into the gorge area for several hours to retrieve the other four members of the injured climber’s hiking party, which included three males and one female from Canoga Park and Simi Valley ranging in age from 19 to 23 years old. 

Those hikers were brought to safely by Malibu Search and Rescue personnel by 8:45 p.m., he said.

This was the second rescue in as many weeks in the park. Last weekend’s rescue was in the “rock pool” area of the park.