— Source: Mom plunged 2 little kids and herself off cliff in Honda CR-V, leaving them upside down near active railroad track while she was “extremely impaired”: Police —
Inset: Chase Klinedinst (Chattanooga Police Department). Background: Coffey’s Cliff in Chattanooga, Tenn., where Chase Klinedinst allegedly drove her Honda CR-V off the side with her two kids in the backseat (WRCB).
An “extremely impaired” Tennessee mother drove her Honda CR-V off a cliff with her two young children inside, sending the vehicle 20 to 25 feet down before it landed upside down in a rail yard, police reported.
Chase Klinedinst, 30, had an empty bottle of Vinho Verde wine in the SUV’s passenger compartment and an unopened, still‑cold bottle of Fetzer Gewürztraminer wine covered in condensation when she careened off Coffey’s Cliff in Chattanooga, according to court documents.
An arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime states that Klinedinst was traveling westbound on Stuart Street in her 2020 CR‑V when she reached Coffey’s Cliff,an area “utilized by train enthusiasts to watch railroad movements within the Debutts Rail Yard,” the affidavit notes.
“Coffey’s Cliff is located approximately 20‑25 feet above rail level and has a drop to the ground below,” the affidavit reads. “The vehicle negotiated the dirt path, steering right around a bend and then making 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 secured in child car seats in the back of the CR‑V when the crash occurred. Police found one child with “an obvious fracture of her left wrist/forearm” and transported her to a local hospital; the other child was uninjured, the affidavit reports.
Police observed that 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,” the affidavit adds.
After the crash, Klinedinst was taken to a local hospital for treatment and later placed on a psychiatric hold. Blood samples collected during her medical care are slated for analysis by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation crime lab.
Klinedinst now faces charges of 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 states. “Klinedinst operated her motor vehicle in a manner that recklessly endangered her children, both of whom are under the age of 8.”
A judge set her bond at $10,000, and she is scheduled to appear in court on November 17.
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