One motorist had a wild ride last Sunday evening after falling asleep and driving off a steep embankment.

According to Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Brent Collier, 66-year-old Joan M. Carnahan of Hermitage, TN, and a 12-year-old passenger, were traveling west on Highway 70 (Nashville Highway) in a 2013 Nissan Altima when Carnahan fell asleep. The car missed concrete barriers, ran off the side of the roadway, down an embankment and came to rest against some rocks. The crash occurred just each of the Alexandria Sale Barn, with the vehicle ending up near Helton Creek.

Deputies with the DeKalb Sheriff’s Department, DeKalb EMS, and the DeKalb County Fire Department’s Liberty Engine 65 responded to the scene, along with the DeKalb Rescue Squad. The initial call to E-911 reported that the occupants of the vehicle needed extrication, but fire crews were able to get to the victims without cutting the car.

Carnahan and the young passenger were taken to the hospital by DeKalb EMS. No charges were issued.