Recovery Teams Extract Drink-Driving Crash Car from Andorran Ravine After 10 Days
Specialized cranes retrieved the vehicle from a steep embankment in Aixirivall amid snowfall, ten days after a 63-year-old driver with 1.74g/L blood.
Key Points
- Crash on Dec 12: 63-year-old Aixirivall driver veered off road 131, fell dozens of meters into ravine.
- Rescue: Firefighters rappelled, winched injured driver to helicopter for hospital.
- Recovery on Monday: Two cranes overcame bushes and snowfall to extract vehicle.
- Arrest: Driver charged with drink-driving (1.74g/L alcohol) and reckless driving.
Recovery teams removed a car involved in a serious traffic accident from a steep ravine in Aixirivall on Monday, ten days after it plunged dozens of metres off the road.
The operation took place despite snowfall across the Principat, using two cranes—one equipped with an extended arm—to reach the vehicle. It had landed near the Prat del Riu urbanisation, hidden among thick bushes and shrubs that had complicated earlier searches.
The crash occurred on the night of 12 December on the secondary road 131, as a 63-year-old Aixirivall resident drove towards the village. Shortly after ascending from Sant Julià de Lòria, the driver missed a sharp bend, broke through a safety barrier and fell down a high embankment—a spot known for its dangers, including a fatal accident there in October 2023.
Emergency responders mounted a complex operation, involving police, firefighters from multiple units, traffic agents from the Sant Julià de Lòria commune and a helicopter. Specialised firefighters rappelled to the wreckage, freed the injured man and hoisted him to safety via helicopter winch before hospital transfer.
After his release from hospital, police arrested the driver. Tests showed a blood alcohol level of 1.74 grams per litre, leading to charges of drink-driving and reckless driving.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: