Ventura County emergency crews had to rescue a hiker who suffered a “traumatic injury” Saturday in a stretch of the Santa Paula Canyon infamous for luring teens to take risky leaps, sometimes with fatal consequences.
The victim, who was not identified, was injured in the popular Punch Bowls area roughly 10 miles east of Ojai and had to be hoisted more than 200 feet by helicopter and taken to a local hospital, authorities said.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department did not specify how the person was hurt or describe the extent of the injuries. But the Punch Bowls have long been known as an area for adventurous hikers to leap into the cool waters of the Santa Paula Creek. Although the dive can be exhilarating, Sheriff’s Department officials said they respond to dozens of reports of injuries at the Punch Bowls each year, including broken bones, skull fractures and near-drownings. Occasionally, those injuries prove fatal.
“The Ventura County Aviation Unit encourages the exploration of our beautiful back country, but would like to remind every one of the potential risks for injuries in these remote areas and the extreme difficulty of these rescues,” the Sheriff’s Department said in an Instagram post.
