Driver stops to take selfie on sinking car after crashing through ice on river

A woman whose car plummeted into a frozen river managed to find time to take a selfie of her mishap before her vehicle completely sank.

The motorist, who has since been charged by Canadian cops for dangerous driving, posed for the snap while she stood on the boot of her yellow sedan as it slipped into the sub-zero Rideau River in Manotick, which is a suburb of Ottawa.

The Mirror reports that while she was posing for her photo, locals were scrambling to mount a rescue, eventually grabbing a blue kayak and tying it with rope to drag her out of the massive ice hole.

By the time the kayak reached her, only the roof of her vehicle was visible above the river.

The car remains where it sank, and the authorities have warned that it could be a hazard for people wandering around on the ice, curious to take a look.

According to witnesses who shared videos of the crash on social media, at one point the driver said: "Oh well. I guess I'll walk."

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One witness took to Twitter to report that he saw the woman drive past him at speed and "rip by". He added that he wasn't surprised she ran into trouble on the ice.

A separate video showed the car careening across the frozen river at a high speed. However, it's unclear whether that could have been caused by skidding rather than by acceleration.

Although she has been charged, driving on ice is not illegal in the country, which is used to freezing conditions.

In a statement, police said: “This portion of the river has thin ice compared to other areas of the river.

“Ice conditions at this time of the year can be unpredictable. The Ottawa Police Service would like to remind residents to stay off the ice and remember 'No Ice is Safe Ice'.”

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