Car plunges off Transfăgărășan into ravine after driver forgets handbrake for a selfie
A female driver watched helplessly as her Skoda rolled off the mountain road into a tens-of-metres-deep ravine after she forgot to engage the handbrake while stopping for a selfie on Romania's Transfăgărășan highway.
The incident
On 21 June 2026, a Skoda car fell into a ravine several tens of metres deep on the Transfăgărășan (DN7C) mountain road. The driver had pulled over in a designated parking area near the crest of the road, likely to admire the scenery or take photographs, a common practice during the summer season. After she exited the vehicle, the car began to roll on its own due to the steep incline.
Why it happened
The driver forgot to apply the handbrake or leave the car in gear, leaving it unsecured at the edge of the road. Within seconds, gravity pulled the vehicle forward. It crossed a section where the protective barrier was missing and plunged into the ravine, rolling several times before coming to rest. Onlookers said the incident unfolded extremely fast, with the car already past the road's edge by the time the driver turned around.
The road's risks
The Transfăgărășan is one of Romania's most spectacular high-altitude roads, winding through the Făgăraș Mountains with steep slopes and sharp drops. Even in designated pull-offs, a momentary lapse can have severe consequences because the gradient and lack of continuous barriers leave little room for error.
Aftermath
No one was injured because the car was empty when it began to move. The vehicle, however, was heavily damaged upon impact. A video of the crash circulated on social media, posted on TikTok by user alyn_stephan with the caption "A uitat să tragă frâna de mână" (She forgot to pull the handbrake). The incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of basic safety checks, even during a brief stop.
