NE Ohio couple survive car plunge 70 feet off cliff

CLEVELAND (AP)

An Ohio couple whose car plunged 70 feet off a cliff survived the fall after a daring rescue.

The crash happened around 3:30 a.m. Sunday in Painesville Township, about 30 miles northeast of Cleveland.

Lake County sheriff’s deputies in northeast Ohio say the driver of the car, 26-year-old Michael Brownwell, freed himself after the wreck and climbed up the cliff to get help.

Brownwell’s girlfriend, 31-year-old Ashley Cusick, was trapped inside the car, and firefighters had to hoist her up the steep embankment.

Brownwell was treated and released from a hospital. Cusick is still undergoing treatment and her condition wasn’t known Sunday.

Deputies say that alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash and that charges should be filed this week.