A Tennessee mother has been charged with driving under the influence after she allegedly drove off a cliff with her two young children inside a Honda CR-V, sending the vehicle plunging 20 to 25 feet before it landed upside down in a rail yard, according to police.
Chase Klinedinst, 30, had an “empty bottle of Vinho Verde wine” in the passenger compartment of the SUV, as well as an “unopened bottle of Fetzer Gewurztraminer wine, which was still cold and covered in condensation,” when she went off Coffey’s Cliff in Chattanooga, according to court documents.
Klinedinst was traveling westbound on Stuart Street in her 2020 CR-V when she approached Coffey’s Cliff, an area “utilized by train enthusiasts to watch railroad movements within the Debutts Rail Yard,” per the affidavit.
“Coffey’s Cliff is located approximately 20-25 feet above rail level and has a drop to the ground below,” the affidavit says. “The vehicle negotiated the dirt path steering right around a bend and then made a left turn, before driving over the edge of the cliff and falling. The vehicle came to rest on its top adjacent to the railroad tracks, prompting a suspension of railroad operations on the easternmost rail line.”
Klinedinst allegedly had her two children restrained in child car seats in the back of the vehicle when the crash occurred. Police arrived and found one of the children with “an obvious fracture of her left wrist/forearm,” and she was taken to a local hospital. The other child was uninjured, according to the affidavit.
Police say Klinedinst’s speech was “very slurred” and that she was “combative with the medics” at the scene. One medic had to repeatedly shout, “Stop grabbing me,” according to the affidavit.
Klinedinst was taken to a local hospital for treatment after the crash and was later placed on a psychiatric hold. Blood samples collected while she was receiving medical treatment are expected to be submitted to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation crime lab for analysis.
She has been charged with driving under the influence, child neglect, child abuse and vehicular assault.
“Klinedinst’s ability to operate a motor vehicle was extremely impaired and was a major contributing factor in the crash,” the affidavit says. “Klinedinst operated her motor vehicle in a manner that recklessly endangered her children, both of whom are under the age of 8.”
A judge ordered Klinedinst held on a $10,000 bond. She is due to appear in court on Nov. 17. The details come from the arrest affidavit, and the allegations against Klinedinst have not been proven in court.