No serious injuries after car drives off Resort parking garage

No serious injuries were reported Friday afternoon after an occupied vehicle drove off the third level of the Coeur d'Alene Resort parking garage, according to authorities.

Police and fire personnel were on site in the walkway between the Coeur d'Alene Resort Plaza Shops and the parking garage, along with a tow truck crew and employees from Avista and the city's Building Services team. 

The cause of the crash is not yet known. Deputy fire marshal Craig Etherton said two people were inside the vehicle when it drove through the railing at the edge of the parking garage and fell three levels, landing on the roof. 

The impact crushed the roof of the car. Both occupants were transported to Kootenai Health for evaluation after sustaining minor injuries. 

"Which is surprising, based on the damage," Etherton said. 

The vehicle tore the ductwork off the side of the parking structure, but at first glance, it appeared that other parts of the ventilation system were undamaged. 

"Amazingly, it doesn't look like they damaged the actual equipment," said Roy Waragi, owner of Air Tech Mechanical Company, which provides services to the Resort and responded to the scene. "But we won't know the extent of the damage until we've inspected it." 

Authorities cordoned off the third-floor railing in the parking garage through which the vehicle smashed while other personnel worked to haul away the vehicle and cut up a tree brought down by the crash landing. 

"We're trying to make it as safe as possible until it can be repaired," Etherton said. 

    No serious injuries were reported in a dramatic Friday crash at the Resort parking garage.
  

    Coeur d'Alene police and other emergency personnel responded to the crash site.
  

    Onlookers watch emergency personnel work to remove a vehicle that drove off the third level of the Resort parking garage Friday.