A routine drive along Pacific Coast Highway turned into a nightmare Saturday when a white van veered off Highway 1 near Deer Creek Road, north of Malibu, ended up roughly 50 feet off the road, and among shoreline rocks with waves washing around it.
The driver managed to climb out on their own and bring one of two dogs to safety. But the second dog remained trapped inside the badly damaged vehicle as surf continued breaking around the wreck.
Footage released by the Ventura County Fire Department show the precarious scene. Firefighters and California State Parks lifeguards scrambled over rocks toward the partially submerged van while waves surged around its wheels and body.
Crews eventually reached the trapped animal, freed it from the vehicle, and carried it back up the rocky bluff to the highway.
The good news: both dogs made it out apparently uninjured.
“One patient was taken to a local hospital in stable condition with minor injuries,” the Ventura County Fire Department said. The agency credited the successful rescue to cooperation between Ventura County firefighters, Federal Fire Ventura County, California State Parks lifeguards, Gold Coast Ambulance, and the California Highway Patrol.
Firefighters Rescue Dog After Vehicle Crashes Into Surf Near Malibu
⁰VCFD, Federal Fire Ventura County, CA State Parks Lifeguards, Gold Coast Ambulance, and the CHP responded yesterday to a single-vehicle collision along Highway 1 near Deer Creek Road, north of Malibu.… pic.twitter.com/qxRobNyQ9A— VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) October 4, 2026
“This incident highlights the teamwork between VCFD and our area partners in responding to dynamic emergencies,” the department added.
Initial CHP reports said the crash happened shortly before 10 a.m. Saturday and temporarily stopped traffic in both directions. The cause of the single-vehicle crash remains under investigation.
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The location is already an unforgiving stretch of coastline. Just weeks earlier, large surf had eroded portions of the cliff beneath Highway 1 near Deer Creek Road, forcing Caltrans to dump boulders below the roadway as emergency protection.
None of that makes the footage any easier to watch.
A wrecked van sitting in the surf is dramatic enough. Knowing a dog was still trapped inside as waves rolled through makes the rescue something else entirely.
By the end, firefighters had the dog in their arms, both animals were safe, and a terrifying crash had somehow ended without serious injury.
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