An SUV hanging precariously over the edge of a Mississippi parking lot turned into a frantic rescue attempt when two bystanders rushed over and tried to pull it back.
It didn’t work. Video shows the SUV eventually tipping over the ledge with a person still inside, tumbling down the embankment, and landing upside down below.
Despite how ugly the crash looked, authorities reported only minor injuries. The story took another turn the following day when police announced that the driver was facing several charges, including DUI.
The crash happened Monday afternoon in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, near Bismillah Super Market on West 4th Street, according to WDAM.
The SUV Was Already Hanging Over The Edge
Viewer video obtained by WDAM shows the SUV perched at the edge of the parking lot while two men attempt to pull it away from the drop.
A person can also be seen in the driver’s seat trying to get out. Before that could happen, the SUV slipped over the edge and rolled onto its roof with the person still inside.
The video doesn’t establish exactly how the SUV ended up in that position in the first place.
Hattiesburg Police and Fire departments responded, along with AAA Ambulance Service and University of Southern Mississippi Campus Police. City officials initially told WDAM that minor injuries had been reported.
Police Had More To Say The Next Day
The Hattiesburg Police Department later told WDAM that the SUV went over the ledge shortly after 4 p.m. Officers found three occupants outside the overturned vehicle, and all three were alert.
Police have not publicly identified the driver.
The driver was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries and was later charged with DUI, driving without insurance, and driving without a license.
Police said the incident remained under investigation as of Tuesday.
The Bystanders Had A Split-Second Decision To Make
One of the more striking parts of the video is what happens before the SUV falls.
Instead of backing away from a vehicle already hanging over a ledge, two men move toward it and try to help. Exactly what they hoped to accomplish isn’t clear from the footage, although WDAM described them as attempting to pull the SUV while it was hanging over the edge.
They ultimately move away before the SUV goes over.
Considering the vehicle ended up upside down at the bottom of the embankment, getting clear proved to be the safer place to be.
The driver has been charged, not convicted, and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.