Vehicle Drives Into Willamette River; Recovery Efforts Underway ****Update*****(Photo) (Photo) -03/09/20

On March 4th, 2020, emergency crews responded to the report of a single vehicle driving into the Willamette River at the Wheatland Ferry, just north of Keizer.  During the initial response the day of the incident, emergency personnel were unable to locate the vehicle in the waterway.  Marion County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue coordinated recovery efforts, leading to the recovery of the vehicle the following day.  The driver of the GMC Terrain has been identified as Jeanie Sandall, 56, of Dayton.  The deceased driver was the only occupant of the vehicle.

*********************************************************************************

Marion County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue resumed efforts this morning to locate a vehicle which was driven into the Willamette River at the Wheatland Ferry shortly after 4:00 pm on March 4th, 2020.  With the assistance of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Water Rescue Team and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol, the vehicle was located submerged in the water with the lone occupant still inside. 

The involved vehicle, a GMC Terrain, has been removed from the Willamette River.  Investigators have tentatively identified the deceased driver of the vehicle.  The circumstances leading up to the vehicle being driven into the water are still under investigation.

Along with the vehicle from yesterday’s incident, two additional unrelated vehicles were located in the water.  Both vehicles were unoccupied and appeared to have been underwater for an extended period of time.  Due to the challenging location in the waterway of the other two vehicles, at this time there will be no efforts undertaken to remove them from the river.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the numerous agencies which took part in the search and recovery efforts.

********************Original Release from 03/04/2020****************************

On March 4th, 2020, at shortly after 4:00 pm, emergency crews were dispatched to the report of a SUV that drove into the Willamette River at the Wheatland Ferry, just north of Keizer.  Prior to emergency crews arriving on scene, the vehicle was completely submerged in the water.  Witnesses at the scene reported only seeing one person in the vehicle when it entered the river.  At this time the vehicle has not yet been located and the identity of the driver is unknown.

Efforts to locate the vehicle have been suspended for the night due to the darkness, the recovery operation will resume tomorrow morning.  During recovery efforts, the Willamette River Boat Launch on Matheny Road will be closed.  Search crews do not anticipate disrupting traffic using the Wheatland Ferry during search operations..

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office was assisted during initial search operations by the following agencies; Marion County Public Works, Keizer Fire Department, Keizer Police Department, Salem Fire Department, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, Lake Oswego Fire District, Woodburn Ambulance, Oregon State Police, Oregon State Parks Department, and Life Flight.