Woman dies when car plummets down embankment along Downriver Drive

A woman was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Downriver Drive on Thursday morning, Spokane police said.

The woman was riding in the passenger seat of a sedan that was traveling south on Downriver Drive when the driver of the vehicle lost control at a curve and left the roadway near 4400 W. Downriver Drive, Spokane police Sgt. Teresa Fuller said. The vehicle crashed at 5:10 a.m., she said.

Police still are investigating the cause of the crash, but Fuller said excessive speed could have played a factor.

The driver, a man, survived the crash. He went to the hospital but is believed to have been released, Fuller said.

Neither occupant was wearing a seat belt during the crash, she said. The vehicle plummeted down an embankment 40-50 feet and struck a tree, about halfway between the road and the Spokane River. The passenger was partially ejected.

Downriver Drive was closed on Thursday morning between Pettet Drive and Aubrey L. White Parkway while Spokane police investigated the incident.

The name of the woman was not released.

Impairment did not appear to be a factor, Fuller said.

Both occupants were younger adults, Fuller said.

“The biggest thing for us is that it’s summer time and kids are out of school, and just to remind everyone to buckle up,” Fuller said. “Everybody needs to buckle up, that’s just the safest thing.”