A driver was able to escape after their vehicle went off the roadway and plummeted 20 feet into water, but the family's dog lost its life.

Police say it happened on Swimming Pool Road in Norfolk County on Sunday evening.

The car was headed south when it left the road and fell into a ravine, where it became submerged underwater.

The driver, a 60-year-old Marathon, Ont. man, was "very lucky to survive this and very lucky to escape," according to Const. Ed Sanchuk in a video posted to Twitter.

He was taken to a Hamilton area hospital with serious injuries from the crash.

The dog, which was in the car at the time of the crash, was found dead when the car was pulled from the water.

"Now, it appears that impaired by drug is being considered as a contributing factor," he says.

The investigation is ongoing but police say charges are pending.

Sanchuk says that, over the weekend, Norfolk OPP took away the licenses of nine people for stunt or impaired driving.