SUV plunges 200 feet into ravine
Posted Jan 20, 2011 8:21 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Crews are trying to figure out how to get a vehicle out of the middle of the Bow River irrigation canal at Deerfoot Trail and 17th Avenue S.E.
Like a scene out of a Hollywood movie, the area was flooded with police cruisers after an Acura SUV crashed through a protective fence, dropping more than 200 feet down to the ice below.
It all started when Chestermere Mounties pulled the vehicle over in Strathmore on suspicion of drunk driving around 2:00 a.m.
They were interviewing the driver when the passenger hopped behind the wheel and took off.
Once he entered city limits, Calgary police took over the chase.
Duty Inspector Chris Butler says the whole situation could have been much worse, since the man walked away with only minor injuries.
“He’s extremely lucky, it’s an over 200-foot drop, quite steep, onto the irrigation canal below,” he says. “The vehicle did not even roll; it went straight down the embankment.”
A 38-year-old man is facing a number of charges. Police are still investigating.
