A suspected drunk driver survived a fall down a 50-foot cliff after going off the road in Vermillion on Thursday.
Vermillion police responded to the 2400 block of Vermillion Road around 11:15 p.m. for a single-car crash. At the scene, officers found a vehicle approximately 50 feet down the side of a cliff that drops to the Vermillion River Valley.
The passenger of the vehicle made his way up the cliff and to the roadway. The woman who was driving exited the vehicle but had fallen another 50 feet down the cliff and was found lying against a small tree.
Two officers were able to stabilize the woman on the side of the cliff until EMS and fire crews arrived. The Vermillion Fire Department used a rope system to stabilize the two officers and the woman.
The woman was loaded into a basket and pulled up the cliff. She was taken by helicopter to MetroHealth Medical Center for treatment.
Once the rescue was completed, officers found out the woman left the roadway while attempting to make a curve on the road. The vehicle went off the road and traveled approximately 420 feet through the woods along the cliff before coming to a stop.
The woman is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. Her passenger suffered minor scrapes and bruises.
