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Couple, ages 90 and 83, survive crash off 70-foot cliff, California authorities say

Amador sheriff’s officials say an 83-year-old driver and his 90-year-old wife survived after their sedan crashed down a 70-foot embankment into shallow water in Lake Camanche on Wednesday, April 16, 2020. Neither were seriously hurt.
Amador sheriff’s officials say an 83-year-old driver and his 90-year-old wife survived after their sedan crashed down a 70-foot embankment into shallow water in Lake Camanche on Wednesday, April 16, 2020. Neither were seriously hurt.

A 90-year-old woman and a man in his 80s not only survived but avoided serious injuries after their car plunged off of a 70-foot cliff and into a lake Wednesday night in Amador County, sheriff’s officials said.

Sheriff’s personnel, the California Highway Patrol and multiple fire agencies worked to rescue the couple around 10 p.m. from the Lake Camanche Reservoir, where a dark-colored sedan driven by an 83-year-old man with his wife in the passenger seat went down a long, rocky embankment and in the water, photos posted Thursday morning by the Amador County Sheriff’s Office show.

The couple “amazingly suffered only minor injuries,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote. The vehicle landed in about 4 feet of water, a low level that made the rescue possible.

No other details about the incident were released.

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This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 9:27 AM.

Michael McGough
The Sacramento Bee
Michael McGough is a sports and local editor for The Sacramento Bee. He previously covered breaking news and COVID-19 for The Bee, which he joined in 2016. He is a Sacramento native and graduate of Sacramento State. 
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