Two women killed in I-5 bridge fall identified
MYRTLE CREEK, Ore. (AP) – Oregon State Police say two women have died after apparently falling from a bridge on Interstate 5 following a single-vehicle crash.
On Tuesday, OSP identified the two women as Amanda Fuller, 32, of Roseburg, and Stephanie Thomas, 29, of San Bernardino, California.
Police say emergency crews responded at about 2:30 a.m. Monday after the driver and her passenger called 911 to report the crash north of Myrtle Creek on a bridge crossing the South Umpqua River.
Police say crews arrived and found a 2002 Kia sport utility vehicle but not the driver or passenger.
Police say crews soon after located two women dead on the riverbank below.
Police are continuing to investigate.
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OSP’s Monday news release:
On January 2, 2017 at about 2:30AM, OSP Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a single vehicle crash on Interstate 5 near milepost 112 (north of Myrtle Creek). Upon arriving on scene, emergency personnel could not locate the driver or occupants. Two adult females were soon after located deceased on the river bank below the bridge where the crash had occurred.
Preliminary information revealed a 2002 Kia sport utility was traveling southbound on Interstate5 when the driver lost control and crashed on the bridge crossing the South Umpqua River near milepost 112. At some point after the crash the driver and her passenger exited the vehicle and called 911 to report the incident.
It is unknown at what point the following event occurred, but both occupants crossed over the bridge railing falling to the riverbank below. Both adult females were pronounced deceased by medical personnel upon their arrival. Troopers obtained a measurement of approximately 80 from the bridge deck to the river bank below.
The victim’s names will be released once the families have been notified and appropriate time has passed for them to notify other friends and family.
OSP was assisted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Myrtle Creek Police, Myrtle Creek Fire, Dillard Fire, Tri-City Swift Water Rescue and the Oregon Department of Transportation. This is incident is not being investigated as a traffic crash fatality but a death investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available.
