Canadians may be nice, but as it turns out, they may not be the best drivers. That point was proven after a Canadian tourist made a wrong turn while on vacation in Hawaii, drove his rental Jeep Compass off a 60-foot cliff, fell out of it and got washed out to sea. Somehow, the bonehead is still alive.
The 27-year-old man, whose name hasn’t been released by authorities (for fear of embarrassment, I assume) was rescued by firefighters and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew after several fishermen saw the crash and called 911, according to ABC News. This all happened around 3:30 a.m. on February 25 in the South Point area on the island of Hawai’i near the Ka’u Forest Reserve.
Here’s what went down, according to ABC News:
Witnesses said that the man’s rented Jeep landed upside down on the rocks below the cliff. When the driver, who was alone, opened the passenger side door, he plummeted into the water and was washed out to sea, officials said.
When fire crews arrived, they spotted the man about 100 yards off shore. Firefighters were able to coach him into swimming to safe spot to get out of the water, according to the fire department.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew used ropes to retrieve the man, officials said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for minor cuts and mild hypothermia, officials said.
A local spear fisherman who was in the area at the time told KTIV Island News that the tourist was lucky he and other fishermen were in the area so they could call for him. I’m willing to bet he’s right. Mike Moody said the crashed Jeep became snagged on the rocks upside down and got jammed against the cliff. He added that the tourist couldn’t get out of the driver’s side door. That’s when he opened the passenger door and immediately plummeted into the water below. Not a good situation.
Obviously it was upside down on the roof so he was upside down and hanging right over the water on the passenger side,” Moody said to KTIV. “He probably had no idea there’s water underneath him.
Listen, if I’m Jeep, I see this story and I immediately make a commercial out of it. “Jeep: go ahead and fall down a cliff in our car, you’ll be fine.”