Teenage girl pulled from water after car ends up in Lake Washington in South Seattle

SEATTLE — An approximately 17-year-old girl was pulled from Lake Washington after a car ended up in the water near the Rainier Beach area Saturday evening.

Seattle Fire Department crews responded just after 5:45 p.m., sending rescue swimmers into the water after hearing that one person may be stuck in the car.

KIRO 7 spoke to SFD and SPD at the scene, who said that two sisters were in the car when it ended up in the water.

A witness reported hearing yelling for help and eventually saw the car almost entirely submerged.

“She was like, ‘Help!’ something like that,” said Ben Salehi.

Salehi said initially, he thought people were just messing around.

According to SPD, the victim’s approximately 20-year-old sister was in the driver’s seat and was able to escape the car through a window and swim to the surface on her own.

By 6:15 p.m., four rescue swimmers and four rescue divers were in the water searching for the 17-year-old passenger, who was also able to escape the car but did not resurface.

Approximately 30 minutes after arriving, SFD reported that the 17-year-old had been rescued from the water and medics were attempting lifesaving efforts. She was then taken to Harborview Medical Center.

All swimmers and divers were said to be safely out of the water.

The 20-year-old sister was arrested under suspicion of impaired driving, according to SPD. Police are investigating the incident as a possible vehicle assault.

“Officers actually tested the 20-year-old female for impairment and found that she did have signs of impairment,” said SPD Detective Brian Pritchard.

A spokesperson with Harborview Medical Center said that the 17-year-old remains in critical condition as of 10 p.m. Saturday.

“You can’t be around water if you’re drinking or impaired in any way, it’s a recipe for a nightmare,” said Detective Pritchard.

This story will be updated with any new developments.

©2024 Cox Media Group