Celia Renteria hikes mile for help after crash kills dad (VIDEO)

A 9-year-old girl crawled out of of the car wreckage of a crash that killed her father in California and braved rough terrain to get help.

Celia Renteria scrambled up a steep ravine after her father's sport-utility vehicle careened off a 200-foot cliff in southern Los Angeles County at about 1 a.m. Sunday.

The girl first went to a house about 1,000 feet away, but no one answered the door.

Concerned about her unconscious father, she returned to the crash site and then set off up the steep cliff again, this time heading to a Metro train station about a mile away.

"She walked quite a distance in a very, very threatening environment," California Highway Patrol Sgt. Tom Lackey told KABC. "It's very black out here, very dark. It's very steep and it's brushy and there's also coyotes in the background."

A passing motorist finally spotted the girl and called 911 at about 2:30 a.m.

But by the time officers reached 35-year-old Alejandro Renteria, he had died of his injuries.

The girl suffered only minor bruises but was expected to remain in a local hospital until Tuesday.

"They were really close. And that hurts me the most," Amber Mejia, the girl's sister, told KCAL.

Police suspect alcohol may have been a factor.