This Pickup Truck Had To Be Recovered By Helicopter After Cliff Plunge

A pair of teenagers in New South Wales had a lucky escape last month, when a tree stopped their Toyota Hilux from plunging into the ocean just off the Sea Cliff Bridge. The 17-year-old driver - with a 18-year-old passenger on board - had to climb back up to the road to seek help after crashing through a guard rail. They received only minor injuries, but at the time one question remained: what the hell will the local authorities do about the stranded car?

The answer? Remove it with a helicopter, obviously. This week, a coordinated effort between an insurance company and a salvage operator saw the stricken Hilux attached to the end of a cable and air lifted to another location just under two miles away.

Apparently the option of using a crane was discussed, but disruption to road users would have been significant. With the chopper option on the other hand, it took just 10 minutes to removed the Hilux.

The driver - who was on ‘P’ plates at the time - has been charged with “driving in a dangerous manner”. We should think that helicopter bill will push up his future insurance premiums by a fair margin too…

Source: Illawarra Mercury via Truck Yeah