A Tennessee woman is facing multiple criminal charges after investigators say she drove an SUV off a Chattanooga cliff with her two young children strapped into safety seats, leaving one child seriously injured.
The crash occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on September 7, 2026. According to an arrest affidavit cited by local and national outlets, 30-year-old Chase Ryan Klinedinst was driving a Honda CR-V along Stuart Street when the road ended. Investigators say she continued onto a dirt path leading toward Coffey’s Cliff.
The SUV went over the edge and dropped approximately 20 to 25 feet before landing upside down near railroad tracks below. Emergency crews found both children still secured in their child safety seats.
One child suffered a fractured forearm and pulmonary contusions — bruising to the lungs — and required hospital treatment. The second child was examined and later released. No fatal injuries were reported.
Investigators allege Klinedinst showed signs of significant alcohol impairment after the crash. The affidavit says she had slurred speech, smelled strongly of alcohol and became combative with emergency medical personnel. Authorities also reported finding two wine bottles inside the vehicle, one of them empty.
The affidavit reportedly described impairment as a major contributing factor in the crash. Those assertions remain allegations contained in the criminal case and have not yet been proven at trial.
Klinedinst was arrested on October 12 on an outstanding warrant. She is charged with driving under the influence, vehicular assault and two counts of child neglect. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is listed as the charging agency.
She is scheduled to appear in court on November 17. No plea or conviction was reported in the latest records reviewed by The Informant, and Klinedinst retains the presumption of innocence.
The case now moves into the court system, where prosecutors will have to prove both the alleged impairment and the circumstances that led the vehicle beyond the end of the roadway and over Coffey’s Cliff.
