The body of a Fintry, B.C., woman, and the vehicle she was in that crashed into Okanagan Lake earlier this month, was recovered on Tuesday.
Police were initially called to Westside Road around 9:15 p.m., on June 9 following reports of a vehicle that left the road, went down an embankment, and likely sank in Okanagan Lake.
“Emergency services responded to a motor vehicle accident in the 900 block of Westside Road,” said West Kelowna RCMP Sgt. Greg Woodcox.
“Based on information from a family member and evidence at the scene, it was consistent with a vehicle that went off the road right over an embankment and then into Okanagan Lake.”
Crews were on scene for most of Tuesday, near the entrance of Traders Cove Regional Park.
The driver, identified on social media as Laticia Watson, was still inside when the pickup truck was hauled from the lake.
“The lone female was still in the driver’s seat upon recovery of the vehicle.”
Watson, also known as Kelowna’s Sprout Mama, was the chef at Sprout Bread.
“Laticia has been with us through it all and there was a good reason she was known as the Sprout Mama. She was that soothing voice, non-judgmental ear, and calming shoulder when times got rough,” read a Sprout Bread Shop social media post.
“If someone was having a bad day you could guarantee they would find their way into the kitchen and be chatting to Laticia before long. Laticia exuded kindness, generosity, and a deep compassion for everyone.”
The vehicle and the body had been submerged in 140 feet of water for nearly three weeks.
A number of resources were called in to assist with the complex rescue including RCMP, Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR), as well as West Kelowna fire and ambulance crews.
“It’s a pretty large recovery, it’s a complex recovery. They’ll go down and secure the vehicle, using lifting bags to bring the vehicle up to the surface and then we’ll tow it to shore. From there and then using the crane to remove the vehicle from the water,” said Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Mike Gauthier.
“The fire department will assist us in recovering the driver from the vehicle after it’s removed from the waters.”
“RCMP requested the assistance of COSAR due to the fact that our specialized rescue boat is a landing craft boat, so our bow actually drops down so that makes it easier for the RCMP specialized dive team to get in and out of the water,” said Duane Tresnich with COSAR.
“We have a bunch of their equipment on board, and they are using our boat as a diving platform.”
Specialized divers from across the province were also called in, due to how deep the car was in the water.
“They’ve been here a day or two before in order to acclimatize to the altitude here. There’s multiple divers in the water, and they’re using a surface air supply system,” said Gauthier.
“They have to have an almost equal amount of personnel on the surface to monitor the systems while they’re underwater, so that’s what kind of makes it complex.”
Gauthier went on to say that the dive members have to be released from their home detachments and “putting all the resources together, it takes time in order to ensure it runs smoothly and that it’s safe as well.”
The cause of the crash is unknown at this time, however, an investigation is underway to try and determine how Watson’s car ended up in the water.
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