photo by: Darin McQueen

A car drove south on the median, through the gap between the north and southbound lanes and off the Kansas River Bridge, landing on its roof on Dec. 2, 2023. The 61-year-old driver was treated for injuries that were not believed to be life threatening.

A car drove off the Kansas River Bridge early Saturday morning and landed upside down on the levee road below, and police suspect the driver may have been impaired.

Police responded at 2:11 a.m. Saturday to a vehicle on its roof on the lower levee road underneath the Kansas River Bridge. When officers arrived, they observed a 61-year-old man crawling out of a gold Suzuki Vitara, said Sgt. Drew Fennelly with the Lawrence Police Department in an email to the Journal-World.

Investigators believe that the vehicle was going southbound toward the bridge and drove on the median and into the gap between the northbound and southbound bridge before falling approximately 20 feet, then rolling and coming to a stop on its roof, Fennelly said.

The man initially refused medical treatment but was taken to LMH Health for a blood sample to be taken to determine if the man was intoxicated. While there, the man consented to additional medical treatment for injuries not believed to be life threatening, Fennelly said.

Due to the man needing additional medical treatment, he was not arrested. A determination of whether a DUI charge will be recommended will be made when the blood results are received, Fennelly said.