Car safely hoisted after hanging off 4th floor of Santa Monica parking structure

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- A car was safely hoisted from the fourth floor of a parking structure in Santa Monica after dangling over the side of it for over an hour.

According to Santa Monica firefighters, the incident happened about 10:30 a.m. in the 1400 block of 4th Street.

A silver Honda sedan apparently crashed through a gate and dangled with the driver's side door open. Fire officials said no occupants were harmed.

Witnesses said a woman was driving the car and was lucky to be OK.

Authorities said a bystander from France who was vacationing in the area helped rescue the woman, who is likely in her 60s. He helped her out of the car after it barreled into the cables, he leaned over and pulled her out of the door, authorities said.

The driver had said she accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brakes and that's when she went over the concrete parking blocks and over the side.

"It was like a movie, really. It was so wild. She came out that far with the car and that the car kept hanging there. I mean one foot more and the car probably would have come down all the way. She got really lucky..." Roy Huysdens said.

An urban search and rescue team and firefighters stabilized the Honda and worked to remove it from the edge for several minutes.

The Santa Monica Fire Department tweeted about noon that the car was successfully hoisted back into the parking structure.

Authorities said the good Samaritan who helped the woman did not want any attention for his heroic act.

Fire crews said 4th street would remain closed for about an hour to secure the area.