SPOKANE-- A woman driving on an icy street went off the roadway, landed upside down in her car, and became submerged in water, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Department.
The call came in around 8:45 a.m. for the vehicle in Minnie Creek off Cheney Road.
Deputies said the woman, 25, was driving south on the roadway, and her speed was likely too fast for the conditions. She hit ice, causing her car to flip end-over-end. The vehicle crashed into a mailbox on the way down as it landed on its roof in the creek.
A passing motorist reported the vehicle in the water, upside down and partially submerged. He was unable to determine if the vehicle was occupied but he noted the muffler was still warm.
A passing motorist reported the vehicle in the water, upside down and partially submerged. He was unable to determine if the vehicle was occupied but he noted the muffler was still warm.
When police arrived on scene the woman was conscious and still restrained in her seat by the seatbelt.
Rescuers made their way into the water and cut the woman’s seatbelt to pull her out of the vehicle. EMTs examined her in an ambulance and transported her to a local hospital. She is being treated for hypothermia.
The woman told police she had to hold up her head to keep it out of water while she sat upside down. The sheriff’s department said if she put it down, the water level rose above her chin. They added that she would not have had the strength to hold her head up any longer after just another few minutes.
Rescuers made their way into the water and cut the woman’s seatbelt to pull her out of the vehicle. EMTs examined her in an ambulance and transported her to a local hospital. She is being treated for hypothermia.
The woman told police she had to hold up her head to keep it out of water while she sat upside down. The sheriff’s department said if she put it down, the water level rose above her chin. They added that she would not have had the strength to hold her head up any longer after just another few minutes.
It is unknown exactly when the crash occurred or how long she had been in the water, but it may have been up to an hour. She told deputies she lost control of her vehicle when she hit a patch of ice as she traveled northbound on Cheney-Spokane Road. She believes it was 7:19 a.m. the last time she remembered looking at her watch.
