A driver remains shaken up after narrowly escaping a falling boulder that completely crushed his vehicle in Malibu on Tuesday.
The incident happened along a hillside in the 20000 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu
The vehicle’s owner, Mauricio Henao, feels very lucky to be alive.
Henao was sitting in his driver’s seat just moments before the giant boulders came tumbling off a Malibu hillside, landing right on top of his car.
“I just heard loud crashes,” recalled Henao. “And I ran out and saw my car just crushed.”
A four-foot boulder had tumbled down the hillside and onto Henao’s sedan, completely smashing the roof inward.
“The rock is the size of the whole hood,”’ said Henao. “The windshields are all broken and the frame of the car is just all twisted.”
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The aftermath of a giant boulder crushing a car as it tumbled off a Malibu hillside on Jan. 10, 2023. (Mauricio Henao) -
The aftermath of a giant boulder crushing a car as it tumbled off a Malibu hillside on Jan. 10, 2023. (KTLA) -
The aftermath of a giant boulder crushing a car as it tumbled off a Malibu hillside on Jan. 10, 2023. (KTLA) -
The aftermath of a giant boulder crushing a car as it tumbled off a Malibu hillside on Jan. 10, 2023. (KTLA) -
The aftermath of a giant boulder crushing a car as it tumbled off a Malibu hillside on Jan. 10, 2023. (KTLA) -
The aftermath of a giant boulder crushing a car as it tumbled off a Malibu hillside on Jan. 10, 2023. (Mauricio Henao) -
The aftermath of a giant boulder crushing a car as it tumbled off a Malibu hillside on Jan. 10, 2023. (KTLA) -
The aftermath of a giant boulder crushing a car as it tumbled off a Malibu hillside on Jan. 10, 2023. (KTLA)
Henao was sitting inside his parked car and preparing to drive away when the hillside next to him began sliding, sending rocks and mud crumbling down onto the road.
“I was in the driver’s seat, walked out, got a call, ran back inside, came out and the car was just totaled,” Henao said in disbelief.
He believes the phone call he received at that moment very well saved his life.
The falling debris dispersed across four lanes of traffic after tumbling down.
“A whole bunch of rocks came down, but they came from here and came across the street,” said Nick Kennedy, a local resident whose SUV was damaged while parked in his driveway. “I’m kind of glad my car was there. I don’t know if [the rocks] would have gone through the wall of the house and nailed me because my desk is right on the other side of that wall.”
No one was injured during the incident, but another vehicle parked nearby also sustained some damage including a broken windshield.
The dangerous rockslide comes after a massive overnight storm hit Southern California, causing massive flooding and road hazards.
Although Henao was glad to emerge uninjured, the close-call incident has left him quite frightened.
“I’m pretty shook up,” said Henao. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ll park here again after this. I’m a little traumatized by this whole ordeal.”
