A Tesla driver just faced a harrowing ordeal when their EV came within inches of a 200‑foot plunge.

Devil’s Slide is a rugged coastal stretch of Highway 1 between Pacifica and Montara, California. Located just south of Grey Whale Cove, this headland has steep, eroded slopes. Gradients here are up to 50%, making it notoriously treacherous for motorists.

At about 2:45 p.m. on June 26, CAL FIRE CZU San Mateo–Santa Cruz, Coastside Fire, and North County Fire crews raced to the scene. 

Rescuers say they discovered a Tesla wedged precariously over the cliff

Inside, a lone driver was trapped. The roots of a tree held up the entire vehicle.

Crews quickly secured the car using rope systems, stabilized it, and extracted the driver through the rear window.

This high-stakes rescue echoes a troubling pattern

Over the past few decades, Highway 1’s Devil’s Slide section has claimed dozens of lives. In fact, just hours after the Tesla incident, FireRescue1 reported a separate, and unfortunately fatal, event at the same site. A 37-year-old woman fell and died from her injuries that same day.

In the 1990s alone, local records show at least 12 fatalities, many involving vehicles tumbling over the cliff. More recently, a fatal crash occurred near the same spot in April 2024, when a Ford went over around 12:30 p.m., prompting CHP to shutter the road. And in July 2024, a car plunged about 300 feet off the same stretch, killing three passengers.

Devil’s Slide earned its name for good reason. Before the Tom Lantos Tunnels opened in 2013, the road was regularly battered by landslides and fatal accidents. Shockingly, more than 700 days of closures were recorded throughout the late 20th century due to unstable slopes.

While the comment section of the CAL FIRE unit’s post lit up with sarcasm, we’re happy the Tesla owner survived the ordeal.