Thursday, July 25, 2013

FOXNews.com: FATAL WRONG TURN Rescued Maine Hikers Drive to Ocean Deaths

FOXNews.com
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FATAL WRONG TURN Rescued Maine Hikers Drive to Ocean Deaths
Jul 25th 2013, 10:51

A pregnant Maine woman and her friend visiting from Pennsylvania who had been rescued after getting lost hiking died when they accidentally drove their car off a boat ramp and into the ocean, authorities said.

Amy Stiner, 37, of Machias, and Melissa Moyer, 38, of Sunbury, Pa., presumably drowned when Stiner drove her car down the boat ramp at the end of a dead-end road at about 9 p.m. Tuesday in this town of 300 people in eastern Maine, said Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith. 

Smith called the deaths a tragic accident made worse because Stiner was five months pregnant.

"They called on the phone that they were in the water and the car was filling up. Then the phone went dead," Smith said. "An hour later, the deputies found the car."

Earlier in the evening, the women got lost while hiking in Roque Bluffs State Park amid fog and a steady downpour, the Portland Press Herald reported.

A off-duty firefighter found them and their dog and gave them rides on his ATV back to his house, where a warden picked them up and brought them to their vehicle, which was parked at the park.

But Stiner then drove toward the boat ramp instead of in the other direction to Machias, Smith said.

Authorities found the submerged car about 175 feet off the boat ramp, the women and the dog inside with the doors closed and the windows up.

Weather could have contributed to the accident, Smith said.

"It appears they went the wrong direction and drove off the ramp," he said. "If you don't know the area, in the fog and rain it wouldn't be a difficult thing to do."

The Portland Press Herald reported that the women were able to call 911 as the car was entering the water.

"They said they were in the water and the car was filling with the water. And then the phone just went dead," Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith told the newspaper.

Smith said blood tests will be conducted on the bodies but he did not suspect alcohol or drugs contributed to the fatal accident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click here for more from the Portland Press Herald.

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