SUV catapults 60 feet off bridge, lands upright; 2 inside OK

A SUV that catipulted off an Interstate 80 bridge overhead lies in a heap along the banks of the Hackensack River, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015, in Hackensack, N.J. The driver, swerving to avoid striking another vehicle on a highway, hit a snowbank along a guardrail and catapulted 60 feet off a bridge. Incredibly, authorities say, the two occupants suffered only minor injuries, and the vehicle landed upright. (AP Photo/The Record of Bergen County, Marko Georgiev) ONLINE OUT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; NO ARCHIVING; MANDATORY CREDIT A SUV that catipulted off an Interstate 80 bridge overhead lies in a heap along the banks of the Hackensack River, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015, in Hackensack, N.J. The driver, swerving to avoid striking another vehicle on a highway, hit a snowbank along a guardrail and catapulted 60 feet off a bridge. Incredibly, authorities say, the two occupants suffered only minor injuries, and the vehicle landed upright. (AP Photo/The Record of Bergen County, Marko Georgiev) ONLINE OUT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; NO ARCHIVING; MANDATORY CREDIT

By Associated Press February 13, 2015 2 min read

HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) – An SUV driver swerving to avoid striking another vehicle on a highway on Friday hit a snowbank along a guardrail and catapulted 60 feet off a bridge. Incredibly, authorities say, the vehicle landed upright and the two occupants suffered only minor injuries.

The Toyota Rav4 was headed east on Interstate 80 when the accident occurred Friday morning in Hackensack, police said.

The driver, Elizabeth Wolthoff, veered sideways after her vehicle was cut off, officials said. The SUV then hit a snowbank that formed after plows had pushed excess snow up against the guardrail.

The SUV flew off the bridge and landed upright beneath the Hackensack River bridge, missing the river by about 40 feet. Wolthoff and her passenger, Rebecca Winslow, called 911.

“The snowbank served almost as a ramp,” Hackensack Police Director Michael Mordaga told The Record newspaper. “They’re very lucky the way the vehicle landed.”