Kent woman dies after car goes into Rocky River

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (WOIO) - The Rocky River Police Department confirm one person has died after a car went into the Rocky River Sunday afternoon.

Police responded to the Cleveland Yachting Club at 200 Yacht Club Drive when a caller reported the car along with a person in the water.

Rocky River Fire Chief Aaron Lenart told 19 News Lakewood Fire also responded to the scene.

“We found a car submerged with a little bit of the roof showing. They reached out and thought they were going to need mutual aid from the technical rescue team for divers,” said Lenart.

The icy conditions, while dangerous, helped emergency crews during the recovery.

“The ice allowed the car to stay close to the bank it was in. It didn’t move downriver or into deeper waters, which enabled our firefighters and rescue personnel to get good access to the car,” said Lenart.

The Cuyahoga County Medial Examiner has identified the victim pulled from a vehicle submerged in the Rocky River near the yacht club as 50-year-old Katrina R. Smith of Kent.

According to Rocky River Police, responding officers confirmed a SUV partially submerged in the east channel of the river off the south end of the island.

A person was in the water just outside the car, unresponsive and showing no signs of life, police said.

The Rocky River Fire Department responded and determined the victim had died on scene.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

The traffic crash is being investigated by the Rocky River Police and the Westshore Enforcement Bureau Accident Investigation Unit.