Peel Regional Police say they don’t suspect foul play in the death of a 72-year-old Toronto woman who was pulled out of a car more than an hour after it plunged into the water near Port Credit Harbour Marina Monday afternoon.
Peel paramedics Supt. Glen Woodhouse told The News the woman was taken to Mississauga Hospital without vital signs at about 5:45 p.m. Peel police confirmed late Monday that, despite “the best efforts” of emergency crews, the woman died.
The incident unfolded around 4:20 p.m., according to Peel Regional police. Police don’t suspect foul play in the death and say it doesn’t appear any medical condition caused the car, a grey Hyundai, to crash into the water.
Paramedics say bystanders were treated on scene as a precaution after they became wet when they tried to stop the vehicle from plunging into the Credit River, near the mouth of Lake Ontario.
Police confirmed that two people tried to go into the water the rescue the person, but were unsuccessful and had to swim back to shore. They were given blankets to keep warm and later sent home.
A witness who saw the two men go into the river said the pair managed to open the car door as the car was sinking but were unable to pull the woman out.
Frances Kessler, a bartender at the nearby Snug Harbour restaurant, made the 911 call after she saw the car drive into the water at a “very high speed.”
Kessler said that once the car hit the water, at least five patrons left the restaurant, and climbed over the fence that separated the restaurant from the river. “One man ran out with a life preserver,” she said.
Woodhouse said the vehicle went into the water at a boat ramp near the lighthouse on Lakeshore Road West, just east of Mississauga Road. The car was submerged in the frigid water for about an hour before a tow truck and other apparatus was used to pull the car from the river.
Police said the cause of the incident is unknown at this time and details about the victim are not being released. Police will be looking at all avenues, including whether a medical condition led to the car plunging into the water.
-with files from Torstar
Source: The Mississauga News