If not for bicyclist, Napa driver might never have been found

A car that plunged 450 feet down a cliff would likely have gone unnoticed were it not witnessed by a bicyclist.

NAPA, Calif. (AP) — A car that plunged 450 feet down a cliff would likely have gone unnoticed were it not witnessed by a bicyclist, a California Highway Patrol rescuer said.

The single-car accident occurred Tuesday on Monticello Road (Highway 121), a winding rural road northeast of Napa. The cyclist who saw it called 911, then climbed down the slope to reach the victim.

Because of the heavy tree canopy, the wreck was not visible from the road, the CHP said.

The driver — the car’s sole occupant — was rescued by a CHP helicopter crew. Paramedics lowered through a narrow gap in the tree cover removed the car’s windshield and hoisted the woman out.

She was listed in stable condition at Queen of the Valley Medical Center.

The car could have fallen even farther — the drop was more than 1,200 feet — had it not hit a tree.