Driver narrowly escapes tumble onto highway in Niagara Falls after launching off road in icy conditions

A vehicle is seen stuck in the brush on the side of an on-ramp in Niagara Falls, Ont. Jan. 30, 2026. (@OPP_HSD /X)

A young woman narrowly escaped a perilous tumble onto the QEW in Niagara Falls after launching off a highway onramp into some brush that stopped her vehicle from rolling down a hill.

Ontario Provincial Police said the incident happened at around 10:50 a.m. on Jan. 30.

A 23-year-old woman was driving along the on-ramp from the Fort-Erie bound QEW to Highway 420 in Niagara Falls.

According to police, the woman lost control of the vehicle on icy roads and struck the snow on the shoulder, which caused her vehicle to climb over the guard rail.

The vehicle flipped on its side and came to rest in trees and bushes which prevented it from rolling down a hill onto the busy QEW below.

Images shared by the OPP show the vehicle lying on its side in the brush above the highway.

The woman was rescued from the vehicle by witnesses who stopped to help her and managed to escape without injury.

OPP said they are using the incident as a warning to drivers about the perilous driving conditions the extreme winter weather has produced.

“Unprecedented amounts of snowfall coupled with extremely frigid temperatures have created unpredictable and dynamic driving conditions this winter,” OPP said in a post on X. “Be prepared for unexpected and changing road conditions as you drive.”

Ontario has been walloped with record amounts of snow over the past few weeks, including a massive storm that dumped close to 60 cm of snow on parts of the GTA just over a week ago.

At the same time, temperatures have been frigid, though they are expected to climb close to 0 C at times this week.