FARGO – A Moorhead man lost control of his vehicle Thursday morning on slippery roads and ended up on the frozen Red River downtown here.
Fargo police Lt. Joel Vettel said the driver, Justin Bortle, 33, lost control of his vehicle on Second Street and hit a tree.
The vehicle then headed over the curb, down the embankment and onto the river, Vettel said.
Bortle, who was intoxicated, tried to drive up the Moorhead embankment, but it was too steep, Vettel said.
He then headed for the Fargo boat ramp, but gave up and called for a tow truck instead.
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The tow truck driver noticed Bortle was intoxicated and, deciding it wasn’t safe to try to tow the truck, called for police and the fire department.
The fire department pulled the vehicle off the river and Bortle was arrested for drunk driving.
The river has a number of open ice spots on it, making the situation extremely dangerous, Vettel said.
