‘Very sad case’
Washington County Coroner Tim Warco identified the woman who died Friday morning when she drove her car into Canonsburg Lake.
Sandra A. Andrews, 71, of Thomas Campbell Apartments, South Strabane Township, died after driving her car into the lake at the McDowell Lane boat launch about 7:30 a.m. Rescue attempts by first responders were unsuccessful and her body was recovered at 12:02 p.m. by East Bethlehem Township Fire Department’s SCUBA team.
Warco said it was Andrews’ second attempt at the same location. The coroner said she previously tried on Valentine’s Day, but the lake was frozen.
Peters police Chief Harry Fruecht said Friday the car pulled from the lake was the same one used in a previous attempt.
“It is a very sad case,” Warco said. “She apparently did not have anyone to reach out to.”
Andrews’ mother died last year, an event that reportedly upset her. Warco was able to contact a sister in Ohio.
Several residents in the foyer of the high-rise building on Beech Street said Saturday afternoon that they did not know Andrews, but checked the roster of residents and verified she had an apartment. The office at the complex is closed on weekends.
Warco said the cause and manner of Andrews’ death are pending. Also assisting were firefighters from Peters and North Strabane townships, Peters Township Ambulance, Washington County Department of Public Safety and Pennsylvania Water Conservation.