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Driver facing charges after car plunges off cliff
Updated: Sat Nov. 07 2009 8:34:35 PM
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Police say booze and road rage may have motivated a spectacular crash Saturday in which a car plunged off a cliff into the Humber River and another car narrowly avoided the same fate.
The 24-year-old woman driving the car which fell into the river walked away from the crash with only minor injuries, but police have now charged her with drunk driving.
Roland Branco, the other driver involved in the incident, nearly drove his car over the cliff but he managed to stop just in time. As police arrived on the scene, Branco's car was dangling three quarters over the edge.
Branco told CTV Toronto's Jim Junkin that the incident began after a minor collision on the Queensway. Branco alleged that the disagreement soon got out of control as the other driver began ramming his car.
The two drivers then turned north off the Queensway onto Stephen Drive, which is a quiet street near Humber Park.
Witnesses say the cars may have reached speeds of about 100 kilometres per hour on the road, which ends in a gully that drops about 25-metres to the Humber.
The chase ended when the woman's vehicle burst through a yard, smashed through guardrail and landed upside down in the river. Witnesses saw the suspect crawl out of the car as it sank in the chilly water.
Police say other charges are pending against the woman, including stunt driving. Her name hasn't been released.
"We're investigating how exactly you leave the roadway from that distance," said Toronto Police Staff Sgt. Brian Bowman, explaining the car's long trajectory off the road.
The female suspect suffered injuries to her face which prevented the use of a breathalyzer, so police were seeking a warrant to do blood tests Saturday afternoon.
"When it looks like alcohol and speed are factors, anything is possible," he said.
This car landed near the Humber River off of Stephen Drive near the South Kingsway and The Queensway on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009.
Rescue officials carry the female driver from the Humber River on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009.
