An 18-year-old Big Bear resident died Tuesday night after falling from an overpass near the Big Bear Dam. Isabella Fanueler was with friends beneath the Highway 18 bridge shortly after 11 p.m. when she slipped and fell to her death.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene but were unable to save Fanueler. According to her father, Danny Fanueler, the area beneath the bridge has been a popular hangout spot for years, and the section where the accident occurred was not fenced off.
"They’ve never fenced the area off, and she fell. She slipped, then fell," Danny Fanueler told The California Post.
Isabella Fanueler had recently graduated from Big Bear High School two weeks prior to her death. Her father described her as an excellent student, active in sports such as varsity softball and golf, and the founder of a successful school cooking business. She was also close to her 16-year-old brother, Alex.
Authorities stated that a preliminary investigation found no indication of suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident. The Big Bear Sheriff’s Department and the Big Bear Fire Department responded to the scene, with firefighters using a crane to lift Fanueler's body from the embankment. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
