RPS crash investigation

Results of a Spokane police investigation into a fatal River Park Square garage accident appear to support statements made by witnesses that the victim was pulling slowly into a parking space when her car bumped the barrier and fell from the fifth story. The front of the Subaru, which hit a barrier called a spandrel, sustained only minor damage, including scuff marks on the front bumper and slight damage under the bumper cover, according to the report released Monday.

The chief executive of River Park Square said Friday that he is confident the garage is safe. However, nearly a month after a woman died when her car plunged from the garage's fifth floor, Robert Smith said he could not guarantee that it wouldn't happen again if a car hit one of the barriers at low speeds. And a study that could answer that question definitively is only now beginning.

The attorney representing the family of a woman who died when her car fell from the River Park Square garage said Thursday he's encouraged by Mayor Dennis Hession's decision to hold a hearing on the garage's safety. "We are obviously pleased by any action to answer substantial questions as to the integrity of the garage and to take responsible actions to protect the public," said attorney Robert Rembert. "We think it's time for the city as well as the owners of the garage to come forward with affirmative evidence that supports their contention that the garage is safe."

River Park Square officials will be forced to testify this month in a city hearing to determine if the mall's parking structure is safe.

A second investigation into last weekend's fatal accident at River Park Square garage in Spokane has begun. This one has been started by Safeco Insurance as part of a claim filed by the garage owner, said Jennifer West, a spokeswoman for River Park Square. "This is standard procedure for anyone preparing a claim," said West.

Police investigators will begin searching for answers today into what caused a 62-year-old woman in a station wagon to plummet five stories to her death from a downtown Spokane parking garage Saturday.