MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA (March 27, 2018) – Eight people from West Linn, Oregon, 2 women and 6 children, tragically died when their vehicle drove off a cliff along Northern California’s scenic Pacific Coast Highway near Mendocino. (map)
Around 4 p.m., the family was driving in their 2003 GMC on State Route 1, south of Juan Creek. The vehicle drove off a cliff and landed upside down on the ocean rocks below, and it remained in that position until rescue officials arrived on the scene. Sadly, none of the passengers survived the unforgiving crash.The SUV took a 100-foot plunge, and initial reports indicate that three out of six children in the vehicle ejected from their seats. The bodies of the three juveniles were found outside of the vehicle, while the rest of the victims were found in the SUV. The children who have been confirmed dead was 19-year-old Markis, 14-year-old Jeremiah, and 14-year-old Abigal Hart. The children whose bodies were intiall mising from the vehicles were 12-year-old Sierra, 15-year-old Devonte, and 16-year-old Hannah. Jennifer Jean Hart, 39, was identified as one of the two women found dead in Mendocino County. Sarah Margarett Hart, also 39-years-old, was the other woman that was identified in this devastating tragedy.
People often pull their cars over to the dirt road, where this horrific incident took place, to take pictures of the scenery along the coast. The guardrails alongside the cliff ends just before the dirt turnout, however, there is a length’s stretch before it reaches the cliff’s edge. It is unclear whether this tragic incident might have been prevented if the guardrail extended to the edge of the cliff. It is unclear whether everyone was wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.
The entire family perished in this bizarre tragedy. Investigators are still trying to determine why the driver of the 2003 GMC drove directly off the cliff. Moreover, they are trying to retrace where the parents and children had been before the vehicle was discovered along the rocky coast Monday morning. The weather was clear on this ill-fated day, and drugs and alcohol do not seem to play a factor in this devastating incident. HWG Law will continue to update this article as we receive further information.
“Sadly, there are no words that can comfort all family members and friends affected by this tragic accident,” said the attorneys from HWG Law. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those involved.”
