LORAIN, Ohio — A Friday morning crash ended in tragedy near a Lorain marina. Lorain Police confirmed two people died and one man survived after a vehicle went into the water at Beaver Park Marina.
Police responded to an initial report around 4:15 a.m. for a downed utility pole on W Erie Avenue near Oak Point Road. Around the same time, they received calls about a young man appearing to break into a nearby home.
According to police, the young man had injuries consistent with a car crash and appeared disoriented. He told officers he had been a passenger in a car with two young women when they hit at least one utility pole and landed in Beaver Creek.
He said he was able to crawl out of a back window to escape. He told police that a female driver and passenger were in the car, and he did not see them exit.
The young man was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries and was not facing charges as of late Friday morning.
Search teams then spent hours combing Beaver Creek and a channel that connects to Lake Erie. The Lorain Police Underwater Recovery Team discovered the vehicle, and at around 8 a.m., divers recovered the bodies of two young women.
A portion of W Erie Avenue was blocked during the search efforts.
News 5 Reporter Mike Holden was on scene all morning:
Large presence at Beaver Park Marina in Lorain
By midday, neighbors were hearing about the tragedy that unfolded early that morning.
“It’s nothing you want to hear or see,” said Bill Schaeffer, the owner of Beaver Park Marina.
He said the car involved first crashed into a utility pole near his sales lot, before proceeding another 1,000 feet and hitting another pole directly next to the marina office. That splintered pole was still floating in the water Friday afternoon.
“It’s almost a dead shot. It’s surprising they didn’t bounce off the wall or the side berm there,” Schaeffer said, gesturing to the building and steep embankment near the creek.
Schaeffer said he could recall several crashes into the water near his family’s marina in the past 50-60 years.
Friday’s fatal crash was felt across the neighborhood.
“[It’s] just very sad,” said Marina worker Luke Whalen. “It’s just something that nobody should have to go through. I feel sorry for all the families that are in this situation right now because that would be terrible, awful.”
Neighbor Genevieve Buksa added, “It’s sad they died, it’s sad he survived. I’m sure he’s going to have survivor’s guilt.”
Police said the circumstances surrounding the crash are under investigation. They are not releasing the names of the people involved, pending notification of next of kin.