Vehicle crashes into statue Monday morning

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Around 11:16 a.m. Monday morning, the Idaho Falls Police Department received a call about a vehicle inside the pond surrounding 'The Protector' statue located in Taylor's Crossing on S Utah Ave in Idaho Falls.

Police say it was a single vehicle accident involving a small sedan driven by an adult male. No passengers were in the car.

The driver told police officers that his steering wheel locked up, forcing him straight into the pond instead of going right around the round-about.

IFPD says the same vehicle was involved in an accident the night before causing front-end damage to the car. The damage could have been the reason the car malfunctioned.

IFPD rerouted traffic until a tow truck was able to pull the partially submerged sedan out of the water at 2:47 p.m. This required a crane rather than a typical tow truck.

No injuries have been reported in this accident. The extent of damage to the vehicle and the statue is unknown at this time.