The owners of a 2006 Ford Escape that took a plunge off of the east side of Big Horn Canyon are alright, but the vehicle that fell about 700 feet to the rocks below Devil’s Canyon Overlook Sunday was a total loss.

The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Department heard about the accident just before midnight on Sunday, May 24, when the vehicle’s owner reported the runaway vehicle accident to officers at the Lovell Annex, according to Sheriff Ken Blackburn.
Two young ladies, Naomi and Lisa Patrick of Billings, said the unoccupied SUV began rolling toward the edge of the canyon rim while they were out sightseeing and testing if the vehicle could navigate the rocks and off-road conditions in the area.

The Escape proved itself on the rough terrain, but didn’t score well in the parking brake category.

After they parked the vehicle on inclined terrain at the Armpit area of the canyon and got out to look around, the mid-sized SUV began slowly creeping toward the canyon rim. By the time they noticed it was headed for disaster it was too late, and any attempts to stop the vehicle by pulling on its bumper were thwarted by gravity. According to Blackburn, the Patricks said the parking brake had failed, allowing the parked vehicle to roll toward the inevitable drop-off. The women hitched a ride back to town in another vehicle driven by family members.

Blackburn estimated the car dropped about 700 feet before smashing into the jagged rocks below. Deputies responded to the scene the following morning to investigate the accident.

Because it happened in Montana, the case was turned over to the Montana Big Horn County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Land Management.

“It was a really bad thing, but everyone is safe. There were no children in the car or anything like that,” Blackburn said. “Vehicles can be replaced, lives can’t.”