South Okanagan

Despite heroic efforts by an RCMP officer and a highway maintenance worker a woman died after a crash into the Similkameen River Saturday morning near Princeton; three other female passengers survived the wreck.

It was just after 7:30 in the morning when the 1995 Honda Accord skidded on the slippery road surface and left the highway flipping down the embankment into the river.

One woman was found on the road, while down the bank there was a struggle for life, as another passenger was on the icy riverbank holding onto another who was in the river. The woman was in danger of being swept away by the current.

That's when Cst. Mike Leiding came upon the crash site. He, and a worker from Argo Road Maintenance, pulled the woman from the river. The two rescuers then jumped in the freezing water and tried in vain to get the driver out of the overturned car. They did not give up. They found chains and used the Argo vehicle to finally flip the Honda, but it was too late. It appeared the 44-year-old had drowned.

The other passengers were taken to Penticton Regional Hospital with moderate to serious, non-life threatening injuries.

All of the passengers were related.

The accident happened on Hwy. 3, 9 km east of Princeton. It is under investigation.