Driver found clinging to pilings after car plunges into North Carolina river, cops say
A man was charged with driving while intoxicated in Wilmington, North Carolina, after he drove his vehicle into a river, police say.
The Wilmington Police Department said the driver was “still in the water hanging onto the pilings” when they reached the scene.
Terrance Ladell Jones, 42, crashed his car into the Cape Fear River at approximately 6:39 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22, police say. He was charged with driving while intoxicated, failure to maintain lane, and careless and reckless (driving), a police news release says.
The U.S. Coast Guard was called in Tuesday to search the area to ensure no one else was in the river, police told McClatchy News.
Police told McClatchy News that while they know where the vehicle is located, it remained in the river as of Feb. 23. Removing a vehicle from a river requires “lots of moving parts,” police said, and divers can only go in at low tide.
The driver was pulled out of the water by the Wilmington Fire Department and was taken to a hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries,” the release says.
This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Driver found clinging to pilings after car plunges into North Carolina river, cops say."
