Teen dies after car plunges into Lake Washington; sister faces vehicular homicide charge

A 17-year-old girl has died after a car she and her sister were in plunged into Lake Washington Saturday, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) stated Wednesday. Now, the charges her 20-year-old sister is facing could be elevated.

The 17-year-old was with her 20-year-old sister in a car at the Atlantic City Boat Ramp at Be’er Sheva Park in Rainier Beach, when the car rolled into the lake just before 6:00 p.m., according to officers.

Authorities said she was in the lake for more than 30 minutes before Seattle Fire Department (SFD) divers were able to bring her to the surface. Police said the older sister was able to make it out of one of the submerged car’s windows.

“She said her 17-year-old sister was actually in the water,” Seattle Police Department (SPD) Detective Brian Pritchard told KIRO 7.

SFD crews worked side-by-side with the SPD’s Harbor Patrol to locate the teen. Four divers and two rescue boats were launched.

After the rescue swimmers reached the 17-year-old, they brought her to medics on shore who worked on her, administering lifesaving measures. Court documents indicate the temperature of the water in Lake Washington was around 54 degrees.

“The victim was located approximately 10 feet from the shoreline and she was underwater,” SPD Detective Eric Munoz said.

An ambulance then transported the 17-year-old to Harborview Medical Center. She was reportedly on life support before she was confirmed dead Wednesday. Medics with a private ambulance company transported the 20-year-old sister to the hospital.

One eyewitness said he heard people yelling and first thought they were just goofing around but then he spotted the car, almost entirely submerged.

“I thought there was nothing wrong because sometimes people are drunk and playing,” Ben Salehi told KIRO 7.

The dark of night was a factor in how long it took rescuers to reach the teen.

“Visibility made it challenging because it’s so dark and the visibility in the water and underneath the surface of the water is so low that that also makes it difficult,” SFD Spokesperson Kaila Lafferty told KIRO 7.

Firefighters assisted rescuers by raising two aerial ladders with lights over the boat launch to illuminate the scene.

20-year-old faces charges after car plunges into Lake Washington

It’s unclear how the car ended up between two docks at the boat launch, approximately 30 to 40 feet from the shoreline. Investigators believed alcohol or drugs were involved.

“Officers actually tested the 20-year-old female for impairment and found she did have signs of impairment,” Pritchard said. “You can’t be around water if you’re drinking or impaired in any kind of way. It’s just a recipe for a nightmare.”

In court Monday afternoon, the judge found probable cause for the crimes of vehicular assault and DUI. Court records indicate the older sister admitted smoking marijuana.

“She was evaluated by a drug recognition expert, and they believe she was impaired so we developed probable cause to place her under arrest for vehicular assault,” Munoz said.

Now that the younger sister has died, charges could be elevated.

“That does depend on the investigation and the circumstances of everything, but we could see the elevation of a charge to vehicular homicide,” Douglas Wagoner with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said.

This story was originally published on Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. It has been updated and republished since then.

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Tom Brock is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Tom’s stories here.

James Lynch is a reporter at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of James’ stories here. Follow James on X, or email him here.