WASHINGTON – Two people were found dead inside a car that plunged into the Potomac River late Saturday, authorities said. The car was found in the water near the Roosevelt Bridge, which connects the District of Columbia to Virginia, early Sunday with the pair inside.
United States Park Police said the crash occurred about 10:40 p.m. Saturday when a vehicle traveling northbound on Ohio Drive near Parkway Drive, an area near the Tidal Basin, left the roadway and crashed into the Potomac.
One passenger swam to shore and alerted authorities, Park Police said.
Several agencies assisted in the search and the vehicle was found about 1 a.m. Both the driver and another passenger were found dead in the vehicle. The surviving passenger was transported a local hospital.
Police did not release the identities of the victims.
According to the preliminary reports, the vehicle apparently went over or through a railing before plunging into the water. However, just downstream from the bridge, there is a section of riverbank that apparently has no fence or railing.
The cause of the crash and causes of death are still being investigated.
Some northbound traffic is required to make a relatively sharp right turn just before passing beneath the bridge. Failure to make the turn could send a car across the riverbank and toward the water.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Michael Smith, Martin Weil
