Driver injured after missing Sunset Highway bridge, rolling down embankment

Firefighters retrieved an injured woman from a deep ravine beneath the Sunset Highway bridge Monday afternoon after she drove her car on the wrong side of a barrier and then rolled it down a steep embankment.

The woman was driving east on Sunset Highway at about 12:45 p.m. and failed to merge just before the bridge over Latah Creek, police said. Her car veered onto a small embankment on the right side of the road, toppling a power pole and narrowly missing the concrete barrier. It continued down the embankment before coming to rest about 100 feet below the bridge.

Firefighters loaded the woman onto a gurney and hoisted her onto the bridge using a cable and pulleys. Spokane police Officer Josh Laiva said she walked away from the crash and was taken to a local hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries.

The bridge was closed in both directions for several hours after the crash. At about 2 p.m. officials were considering ways to remove the battered vehicle.

Laiva said the woman, whose name was not released, may be cited for a traffic violation following an investigation.