Water was 40 feet deep when woman drove off Anacortes ferry dock

The time it took to get the necessary equipment to the Anacortes Ferry Terminal Thursday morning may have played a factor in the effort to save a woman who drove off the dock.

The Washington State Patrol says that due to the time it took to get the necessary “resources” to the scene, the rescue of Nicole K. Barney turned into a recovery effort after she drove off the dock at a high rate of speed.

Investigators say the water was 40 feet deep when Barney drove off the western slip of the ferry dock. A large tow truck — with the assistance of a dive team — eventually pulled the Jeep out of the water.

At the time of the incident, there was no ferry loading or unloading, according to the Washington State Patrol.

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The dock was closed most of the day as divers and search crews looked for the Jeep under the surface. It was eventually towed out of the water. Trooper Heather Axtman with the Washington State Patrol said that dive crews spent the rest of the day searching the area under the water to determine if anyone else was in the vehicle when it drove off the dock.

A spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol told reporters that the driver paid for the ferry ticket and went to the staging area at around 7:51 a.m. The driver parked “for a while,” drove back the wrong way to the ticket booth before returning to the staging area. At 9:34 a.m., the Jeep traveled at a “high rate of speed,” broke through the traffic barrier, then drove off the western slip into the water.

Axtman said that it appears the Jeep was put into drive by the driver, but it is unknown if the incident was intentional or the result of another cause, such as a medical issue.

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