Driver survives plunge off California cliff

A driver who plunged 300 feet off of a Southern California ocean cliff has been rescued after firefighters waded into the surf to free him from the car.

KNBC-TV says the 19-year-old man was hospitalised in critical condition and told paramedics that he intentionally drove of the cliff.

Authorities were called to the scene at about 2 a.M. yesterday, local time. They found the car being slammed by waves.

Firefighters, lifeguards and local police helped in the rescue. The driver was finally pulled free and flown to a hospital.

The crash site is on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, about 32 kilometres south of downtown Los Angeles.