Tennessee mother charged after driving car off cliff with children aboard
Chase Ryan Klinedinst, 30, drove her Honda CR-V off Coffey's Cliff near Chattanooga with two kids inside and now faces DUI, child-neglect and vehicular-assault charges.
A 30-year-old Tennessee mother, Chase Ryan Klinedist, is accused of deliberately driving her Honda CR-V off Coffey's Cliff, a dead-end road near Chattanooga, after the vehicle fell roughly 25 feet and tipped onto its roof near nearby railroad tracks. Inside the car were her two young children, both secured in safety seats; one child broke an arm and sustained a bruised lung, while the other received treatment and was released.
Responding officers observed Klinedist with slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol and a combative attitude toward medics, and discovered two bottles of wine, one empty, in the vehicle. She has been charged by the Tennessee Highway Patrol with two counts of child neglect, driving under the influence and vehicular assault. A court appearance is set for November 17.
Why it matters
The case highlights serious child-safety and DUI concerns, underscoring law-enforcement response to endangerment incidents.
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