Chapter 31
Thirty-One
Then
YORKSHIRE POST
Woman Survives Horror Cliff Plunge
Residents have been left shocked after a car plunged from a cliff road late on Saturday evening, killing the male driver, Andrew Guthrie, 31. The heavily pregnant female passenger survived, but is currently in hospital.
Emergency services were called to the remote coastal stretch of road between Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay shortly after 6 a.m. on Sunday following reports of a vehicle leaving the carriageway and falling on to the rocks below.
The road is known locally for its exposed edges and lack of continuous safety barriers.
When recovery teams reached the wreckage, they discovered two people inside the vehicle. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, however, the woman—whose identity is being kept confidential—was found alive, against all odds.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: ‘Incredibly, the woman had no immediately life-threatening injuries but was taken to hospital as a precaution. She is being treated for concussion and shock. We are hopeful she will be able to speak to officers in due course, once doctors are satisfied she is fit to do so.’
The wreckage of the car was winched from the rocks below in a recovery operation involving Coastguard teams that lasted several hours.
North Yorkshire Police have confirmed that they are currently trying to establish how the car came to leave the road.
Police have appealed for witnesses who may have been travelling along the cliff route the previous night, and confirmed they are reviewing traffic and coastal camera footage as part of ongoing enquiries.
A police spokesperson said: ‘We are keen to hear from anyone who was driving along the cliff road on Saturday evening or who may have dashcam footage.’
Locals described the stretch as ‘beautiful but unforgiving’, with warnings about loose edges signposted at several points along the route.
READER COMMENTS:
CliffWalker89
Strange that she survived while the driver died. Doesn’t add up, if you ask me.
JennyW_Holmfirth
My cousin lives near there and said she heard shouting earlier that night. Could be nothing, but it’s unsettling.
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Gazza_72
People need to stop making stuff up. The poor families are going through enough without wild rumours. Let the police do their job.
SunnyDalesMal
Can’t believe they let traffic along that stretch at all. No barriers!!
YorkieLad94
Sounds fishy to me . . . bloke dead, woman walks away fine. Bet there’s more to this story, cars don’t just roll over cliffs by themselves.
JayJay88: If she’s alive, she can tell us what really happened.
Editor’s note: Comments on this article have now been closed.