Skip to content

UPDATE: Driver careens across Columbia, tumbles down embankment

Police say the driver of a Jeep that plummeted down an embankment off Columbia Street west of McBride Boulevard on Saturday may have been driving while prohibited. The crash happened around 3:25 a.m. on Feb.

Police say the driver of a Jeep that plummeted down an embankment off Columbia Street west of McBride Boulevard on Saturday may have been driving while prohibited.

The crash happened around 3:25 a.m. on Feb. 2 along the stretch of Columbia Street that runs under the Pattullo Bridge. New Westminster Police say the driver of a black Jeep was travelling west on Columbia when they lost control of the vehicle going into a turn and fell over the ridge, about 50 feet down.

The driver and passenger survived with no reported injuries, according to Sgt. Jeff Scott.

Police arrested the driver on suspicion of driving while prohibited and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. The driver was released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.

The area was closed for more than seven hours while investigators with the police department’s collision analysis and reconstruction team searched for evidence of any other factors that may have contributed to the crash, according to Scott.