A driver died late Saturday when his vehicle plowed through a guardrail and plunged down a cliff along the Catalina Highway, authorities said.
Raymond Zamora, 22, whom rescuers could not reach for several hours, was pronounced dead at the scene, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a news release Monday.
"Impairment is believed to be a factor in the collision," the news release said. The vehicle fell "several hundred yards down the canyon," near Mile Post 13.
A large team of search and rescue workers responded to the call that came in shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, the news release said. The group included members of the sheriff's department, Mount Lemmon and Rural Metro fire departments and the Southern Arizona Rescue Association.
In the dark, they couldn't see where the vehicle was until the sheriff and Tucson Police Department sent in helicopters with spotlights. Once identified, the location was so hazardous it took hours for team members to reach it, the sheriff's department said.
"Due to the dangerous terrain and weather conditions, several hours elapsed before rescuers reached the location of the vehicle," it said.
The investigation is ongoing.
