Rescued hikers recount near-death fall off 800 ft. cliff in Southern California

While on the mend, two hikers recounted their near-death experience and the three-day rescue mission that followed in Riverside County.

Crews in the air and volunteers on the ground worked around the clock during the first few days of March to pull Veda Lin and Chris Ng from the snowy, rugged depths after they slipped off a ridgeline trail above Idyllwild and tumbled about 800 feet. Their rescue was caught on video.

On Saturday, Lin and Ng were able to tell KTLA’s Chris Wolfe how it all happened.

“Unfortunately as we were making our way along the trail, we slipped,” explained Lin. “In a panic, we were trying to grab the other person and bring them back up, but there were no good foot holds for that so we both ended up falling down the icy slope ridge.”

Lin said she was able to call 911 with her cell phone that remained intact – though the battery was nearly dead.

“The first thing I remember was kind of waking up and doing a quick inventory of how badly I was messed up,” said Ng, recounting the experience from his hospital bed.

Lin and Ng’s injuries included fractured bones all over their bodies – their faces, their spines, hips, and chests, and they also suffered broken feet and frostbite on their faces.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, L.A. County Sheriff, Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team as well as emergency personnel from Orange County and San Diego were part of this incredible rescue effort.