Woman, 41, dies after car goes airborne, careens into Schuylkill

A 41-YEAR-OLD woman died Tuesday when her Volvo sped across Kelly Drive, hit a retaining wall and went airborne, plunging into the Schuylkill, police said.

Two other motorists witnessed the horrific wreck that happened minutes before noon, Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan said. The witnesses told police that the Volvo was speeding down Hunting Park Avenue toward the river, then ran the red light at Kelly Drive, crossed the road and hit the water.

The witnesses called police and stayed at the scene to direct officers to where the car went under. The Fire Department and police Marine Unit were called, Sullivan said, and divers located the car quickly but were unable to get its doors open underwater because it was badly damaged.

A heavy-rescue crew pulled the Volvo from the water, Sullivan said, but the woman had died inside. She was pronounced dead on the riverbank at 1:35 p.m., police said.

Sullivan said accident-investigation officers were probing the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash. He said there were no skid marks on the pavement indicating that the woman had hit the brakes, and it was too early to determine what made her drive into the river.

The victim's identity had not been released as of Tuesday night.

Blog: PhillyConfidential.com