San Diego man, distracted by cell phone, dies after falling from cliff

SD Cliff Tragedy

A San Diego man died on Christmas after falling 60 feet at San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs. Authorities say the man was not paying attention to his surroundings because he was distracted by an electronic device.

The man, who was not identified, plunged to his death at 4:50 p.m. on Friday.

“Witnesses stated seeing someone distracted by an electronic device and he just fell over the edge,” San Diego Lifeguard Bill Bender told NBC 7. “(He) wasn’t watching where he was walking, he was looking down at the device in his hands.”

Three Good Samaritans hiked down the rocks and administered CPR on the man, but he could not be saved. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

San Diego Lifeguards said the victim had trouble finding parking at the popular ocean viewing site.  He left his vehicle to find a parking spot and was looking down at his device when he fell.

Bender warns that people should be aware of their surroundings – especially at the cliffs, telling NBC 7, “Just like driving and using a cell phone, you don’t want to be walking and using a cell phone or be distracted or anything.”