A car has fallen nearly 40 metres from a cliff at a popular lookout in Adelaide’s southern region, landing on the rocky beach below. Marcus Mitchell, the son of the car’s owner, claimed that a faulty electronic handbrake caused the Chery Tiggo to roll away from their driveway while unoccupied. He recounted that he had jump-started the vehicle due to a flat battery prior to the incident.
“I thought I had engaged the brake before stepping inside,” he said. The car unexpectedly dashed through a fence and plummeted over the cliff, just missing a group of sunset watchers on The Esplanade in Hallett Cove. Lotte Mitchell, the car’s owner, expressed her relief that no one was hurt, noting, “Sometimes people wander onto the rocks; thank goodness there was nobody there.”
Purchased in December, the vehicle has reportedly experienced numerous technical issues since then. Marcus suggested that a power failure may have contributed to the mishap, stating, “When the power goes out, you can still open the doors.”
Motorsport specialists informed 9News that most vehicles have backup systems designed to ensure parking brakes stay engaged, even with a dead battery. Retrieval of the car has not yet occurred due to darkness and challenges associated with accessing the location, leaving uncertainty regarding how the vehicle will be safely removed from the rocky site.