Investigators believe that a woman died intentionally after she drove her car through the Niagara Falls freezing water.
Unidentified female in her 60s was killed when the car plunged into freezing Niagara River waters in New York state on Wednesday. State Police said Thursday that it was an accident and the victim was uninjured.
The recovery efforts for her car are continuing. She has sunk closer to the falls’ edge and is now only 30 feet from their top.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
New York State Parks Police stated that it received information about the vehicle floating in the stream just before noon. On Wednesday the vehicle was only 50 feet from the Falls extremity, when it caught in a bunch of rocks.
The car, which is said to have flipped over, moved 20 feet closer to the brink of the American Falls, one of three waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls, on Thursday.
The victim, a female, was later pronounced deceased at the scene. She was last seen in the vehicle on Wednesday, at 12:30pm.
It is still not known what caused her death. State Parks Police used drones to identify the woman in her car.
Just yards away from American Falls (one of the three Niagara Falls waterfalls), a vehicle submerged in rapids, Wednesday, December 8, 2021 in Niagara Falls.
A car is submerged near Niagara Falls’ edge in the rapids.
Rola stated that the swift water team could not make the vehicle’s recovery because of the location. “We called the Coast Guard. Their helicopter arrived and we were able to complete a rescue.”
Rola said that Rola had told Rola that the rescue swimmer found the woman in the driver seat.
In an orange suit and a Petty Officer 2nd Class Derrian Duryea was taken 80 feet down to the car in the snowy conditions. He slowly circled around the car before finally being able grab the driver’s hand and unlock the door.
Duryea stated that he was focusing on getting in the car while the rapids were coming along the road. Duryea spoke to Duryea by phone after returning to Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The base is northeast of Detroit. My sole concern was to find the right window or door for me.
He said, “Fortunately, the car wasn’t locked and I didn’t need to crack out any windows. I was able open the passenger side doors and push it against the current.”
U.S. Coast Guard Diver is dropped from a hovering helicopter in order to remove a victim from a submerged vehicle that was stuck in rapids. The incident occurred just yards from American Falls.
Unidentified women are pulled from submerged vehicles in the rapids by an American Coast Guard diver. The helicopter hovers 30 feet above the American Falls.
The Niagara River is the location where emergency personnel gathered to assist the woman who was submerged in her vehicle. The authorities are working to find a solution to the problem.
According to the US Coast Guard, the woman was the sole person left in the car, which crossed the river via an area that had two bridges for pedestrians and vehicles.
Rola stated that she knew the victim as a local but did not reveal her address. For review, her body was sent to the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office.
New York State Parks Police is continuing to collaborate with other agencies in order to determine the most safe way to remove unidentified vehicles from water.
The trunk of the car has been left open and is almost completely submerged. Officials have not been able to determine the vehicle’s make and model.
The spokesperson for the State Parks Police stated Wednesday night that no plans were made to inspect the vehicle or surrounding area in the coming days.
On Wednesday, Kathy Hochul, New York Governor shared her sorrow by sharing the tragic death at Niagara River on Twitter. The Governor thanked the New York Power Authority and emergency crews for helping to lower river levels so first responders could be assisted.
