A 52-year-old woman has tragically died after suffering a fatal injury while hiking in Southern California over the weekend.
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The incident occurred at approximately 3:14 p.m. on June 14 near the 900 block of South Fork Road in Lytle Creek.
Emergency crews were dispatched after receiving reports that a woman had been struck by either a falling tree branch or a rock while on a hiking trail.
Due to the remote location, search and rescue personnel were forced to travel on foot to reach the victim.
Hiker Dies After Incident on California Trail
The woman was later identified as Lillian Rodriguez. Authorities pronounced her dead at the scene.
According to San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Jenny Smith, Rodriguez was hiking when "a large boulder came down from the hillside and hit the woman in the head."
Smith added that "sadly, she did not survive".
However, a witness who said he spoke with Rodriguez shortly before the incident offered a different account of what happened.
"I talked to the lady as she passed by me," Jose Reynaud told VVNG. "What really happened was she was taking pictures of the waterfall and tried to get a better view, she grabbed a branch which broke on her, she [fell] and hit her head on a rock."
Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact circumstances surrounding the fatal injury.
Witnesses Describe Rescue Efforts
Reynaud said two men immediately began performing CPR on Rodriguez and continued lifesaving efforts for roughly 20 minutes while waiting for emergency responders to arrive.
Another witness, Esmeralda M. Dominguez, said she heard a branch snap moments before seeing the woman fall.
"I was there when it happened," Dominguez said. "I heard a tree branch break and I had seen her fall and hit a tree as she rolled down."
Dominguez added that family members and other hikers rushed to help Rodriguez. This was while rescue crews made their way to the scene.
An investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to determine exactly what led to the tragic incident.
The accident occurred near Bonita Falls, a popular hiking destination within the San Bernardino National Forest.
The waterfall, formed by an unnamed tributary of South Fork Lytle Creek, is believed to cascade more than 400 feet down the mountainside, attracting visitors from across Southern California.
