Monterey County Sheriff discusses rescue of Angela Hernandez

UPDATE 7/16/2018 6 p.m.: The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is discussing the Angela Hernandez case. She is the Oregon woman who went missing on July 6 while on her way to Southern California.

There were efforts to look for Hernandez by air last Thursday and Friday, but because of bad weather conditions, they were unsuccessful. It wasn’t until a pair of hikers stumbled upon her that she was finally found on Friday night.

Chad and Chelsea Moore happened to be at the right place at the right time when they were hiking near Highway 1 and Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.

“We turned around and Angela was right there in the rocks just looked like hell,” Chad Moore said. “She was happy at the same time, she was really happy to see us.”

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, State Parks and Big Sur Fire all joined in to rescue the woman missing for a week. She was hoisted in a stretcher up 250′ and taken by helicopter to a hospital in Templeton.

On Sunday night, she posted her story on Facebook. It included pictures of her in the hospital, where she said she had a brain hemorrhage, collarbone fractures, four broken ribs, a collapsed lung, ruptured blood vessels in both eyes and intense sunburns.

She said after the crash, she knew she had to get to shore because water was seeping into her car.

“I believe she found a multi-purpose tool in her car and was able to break out a window and got out onto the beach,” said Sheriff Steve Bernal. “From what I understand she blacked out, she slept for a little while, then when she woke up she realized what happened to her.”

She said she lost her shoes in the crash, and her socks were tattered with holes in them. She would walk around looking for help, walking on the sand to avoid the hot rocks, while at other times walked on rocks to avoid sharp things in the sand.

She survived a week without food but was able to find fresh water.

“She found what I believe was a radiator hose and she found a natural spring coming out of a cliff in the area,” Bernal said. “She noticed some mossy green vegetation and some water dripping off of that so she used that radiator hose to collect the water from that natural spring in the cliff.”

Now, Hernandez is recovering from her injuries, saying she has met some of the most beautiful human beings that she thinks she will ever meet, and she has experienced something so unique and terrifying that she can’t imagine that there isn’t a bigger purpose for her in this life.

“She was a fighter, she had the will to survive,” Bernal said. “I think most people in that situation wouldn’t have lasted that long but I think she was a fighter.”

ORIGINAL POST: The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference today to discuss the rescue of Angela Hernandez, the Oregon woman reported missing July 6th.

Officials say Hernandez is lucky to be alive and call her a “fighter” for knowing what to do to stay alive.

KION’s Mariana Hicks will have the story tonight at 5 and 6.

Portion of 911 call :

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