Woman Rescued After Driving Onto Frozen River, Taking Selfie

Witnesses say she was speeding along for as many as 18 miles before ice cracked
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 18, 2022 2:39 AM CST
Woman Drives Onto Frozen River, Takes Selfie, Has to Be Rescued
Stock photo.   (Getty Images / FotoDuets)

A woman drove onto a frozen river in Canada on Sunday, a move that perhaps predictably ended up with a rescue. Witnesses say the woman sped onto the frozen Rideau River near Ottawa, Ontario, and her vehicle cracked the ice. She climbed out and was seen taking smiling selfies atop the car, the National Post reports. Meanwhile, rescuers jumped into action, calling 911 and gathering ropes and other supplies. Two men tied a rope to a kayak, threw it to her from ice that had not yet cracked, and pulled her out of the river after she climbed on. The vehicle sank and remains in the river, and the woman has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. She was not hurt.

She is believed to have driven a "considerable distance" on the ice before the incident, possibly more than 18 miles, the Ottawa Citizen reports. She was believed to be traveling nearly 40mph at times. "My kids were playing hockey on our outdoor rink, and it’s not something you’d expect to see, but suddenly a car just went racing by," says one local. "At first, my wife and I were in shock, and then we were concerned for the kids … our own kids and the other kids along the river. There’s a lot of rinks along the river." (More Canada stories.)

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