Driver rescued after vehicle plunges off ferry terminal loading ramp

Police and other emergency responders attended to the Shelter Bay Ferry Terminal south of Revelstoke after a woman was pulled from the waters of Upper Arrow Lake by crews aboard a ferry rescue boat.

On Monday October 13 at 12:17 a.m., Revelstoke RCMP received a report of a motor vehicle incident at the terminal along Highway 23. The terminal’s manager told police that crews aboard the Upper Arrow Lake Ferry spotted the woman in the water, waving for help, and launched a rescue boat to retrieve her.

“Further investigation revealed that the woman had driven her passenger vehicle off the end of the loading ramp,” stated Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, spokesman for the RCMP Southeast District. “Investigators believe that the woman was alone inside her Ford Fusion, which was discovered fully submerged below the ramp. The location of the motor vehicle prevented the ferry from being able to safely dock and load and unload passengers.”

Although RCMP do not believe that any intoxicating substances were involved in this incident, RCMP officers ensured that the 51-year-old Elk Valley woman was fully examined to ensure her physical and mental well-being.