2 rescued after car goes over cliff in Point Defiance Park

Two elderly women drove off a cliff in Point Defiance Park on Thursday and had to be rescued.

Witnesses called 911 about 12:30 p.m. to report seeing a car drive through a fence and over an embankment at a viewpoint off Five Mile Drive on the northwestern side of the Tacoma park.

The car came to rest about 150 feet down a steep hill.

A Tacoma Fire rescue team rappelled down the cliff to free the driver and passenger, who were pulled out of the wreckage about 1:40 p.m.

They were carried down to the water and placed on to a Tacoma Fire boat. Once onshore, the two were taken to an area hospital.

The women were in serious but stable condition after the rescue, Tacoma Fire spokesman Joe Meinecke said.

“It was a very complicated, challenging situation,” he said. “The car was essentially on a cliff. The car was damaged enough that we had to chop the car apart and get the folks out.”

Police are investigating the crash.

The outer loop of Five Mile Drive, closed during the rescue, will remain closed Friday while a new fence is installed. The outer loop normally opens to vehicle traffic at 10 a.m. on Fridays.

Five Mile Drive’s inner loop and the rest of Point Defiance Park remains open.

This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 1:33 PM with the headline "2 rescued after car goes over cliff in Point Defiance Park."