A woman died and a man suffered serious injuries after the car he was driving went off a steep cliff, landing on the rocky shoreline early Sunday afternoon in Pismo Beach.

Rescuers attempted a swift rescue effort to beat winds and high tides encroaching on a patch of sand beneath the Pelican Point Bar and Restaurant on Price Street.

The car dropped about 60 feet vertically and landed near the rocks, about 125 feet out from the blufftop walkway, police said.

Its driver may have pressed the wrong pedal while pulling into a parking spot, causing the car to accelerate rapidly, pushing it over the sidewalk, through a fence and over the cliff, according to Pismo Beach police Cmdr. Jeff Norton.

Police would not release the deceased woman’s name pending notification of her next of kin. Police also would not release the man’s name, and did not return numerous phone messages by late Sunday seeking his identity.

Officials have also not said whether the accident victims were local residents, except that the gold Toyota Camry was registered in Bakersfield. Both were in their 70s, according to police.

As the car’s driver was being loaded into an ambulance, a server holding a restaurant bill holder raced out of Pelican Point asking for police, saying she may have information about the victims.

The server could not be interviewed. While a reporter tried to interview a Pelican Point employee outside, a woman appearing to be a restaurant manager ordered staff scattered around the scene not to talk to the media.

She also demanded, without success, that dozens of spectators who stayed for hours peering at the shoreline leave the scene.

Police arrived shortly after 1 p.m. and made their way down the cliff to perform first aid on the driver while waiting for County/Cal Fire rescuers.

An emergency crew shouted rescue maneuvers from the top of the cliff to rescuers who were lowered on harnesses and worked to extract the driver from the car.

Officials said they were not sure how many times the vehicle rolled when it plummeted over the cliff and landed on its wheels.

Passers-by and diners watched mainly from the Pelican Point patio as rescue teams from Cal Fire and Pismo Beach police pulled apart parts of the vehicle’s roof and doors to access the crash victims.

A number of Pelican Point patrons got up and ran outside the restaurant to see what had happened after what witnesses described as a "crash, crash, crash, thud."

"The driver had one hand out of the sunroof and the other out of the driver side window," one witness said. "You could see them moving, too."

As crews worked to access the victims, Norton said "they’re having a tough time getting the man out of the vehicle," referring to strong winds and high tide.

Rescue equipment remained scattered along the rocks among shards of glass when the driver was lifted onto a stretcher shortly before waves began crashing over the car.

Once he was harnessed, the man was pulled to the top of the cliff. A plastic covering protected his face as loose rocks tumbled onto the stretcher.

Meanwhile, other rescuers began preparing to tow the woman’s body up the cliff.

A San Luis Ambulance crew took the driver to Arroyo Grande Community Hospital to be treated for serious injuries. His condition could not be determined late Sunday.

A man who said he was the general manager of the nearby Best Western Shore Cliff Lodge said he did not know whether the crash victims were staying at the motel or dining at the restaurant.