B.C. woman’s death at boat launch found to be an accident

An elderly woman from B.C. was found dead in a vehicle that was fully submerged in water at the boat launch in Blaine Harbor.

At about 7:20 a.m. on September 29, Blaine police officers responded to a call from boaters who had launched their boat from the public boat launch on Milhollin Drive in Blaine. The boaters had noticed that a vehicle was fully submerged in water underneath their boat, and called the police immediately.

An officer responded to the scene and paged a diver from Whatcom County Search and Rescue. The diver arrived on scene, put on his scuba gear and went into the water. The vehicle was four or five feet below the surface of the water, and the diver observed an occupant inside the vehicle.

Numerous firefighters and paramedics also arrived at the scene and were prepared to perform life-saving measures. However, it was determined that the safest course of action was for the diver to attach a cable to the submerged vehicle from a tow truck, which then removed the vehicle and its occupant from the water.

Once the vehicle was out of the water, paramedics pronounced its occupant deceased at the scene. After the next of kin were notified and an autopsy was conducted, the victim was identified as 87-year-old Eleanor Lenzner of B.C. The autopsy revealed the cause of death to be drowning.

“Ms. Lenzner came into the United States by way of the Peace Arch port of entry,” said Blaine police sergeant Michael Munden. “Once she entered Blaine, police believe she became disoriented and ended up driving down the boat launch into Drayton Harbor. It is believed that Ms. Lenzner went into the water at low tide and was unable to get out. At this time, her death is believed to be an accident.”

The victim’s son, Jeff Lenzner, contacted The Northern Light to advise that his mother was a retired elementary school teacher who volunteered in her community. He said that when the incident occurred, she was in the process of driving from Kelowna, B.C. to North Vancouver, B.C. to move in with a relative. “She wanted to move on after losing my dad in August,” he said.

The police report indicates that when she arrived at the border around midnight, she stated that she was trying to find the Lions Gate Bridge, which is in Vancouver. The customs agent gave her directions to navigate through two roundabouts and head back north into B.C. It appears that she then took some wrong turns, mistook the boat launch ramp for a roadway and was unable to exit her vehicle, which became stuck in the water and lost all electrical control, including the horn.