Fire department divers search for victims of an accident that occurred when a car drove into a pond on the north side of Harper College in Palatine. A woman transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com
A 64-year-old Rolling Meadows woman died at an area hospital Thursday after emergency crews pulled her from a submerged car in a pond on Harper College's Palatine campus.
Victoria Auer was pulled from her four-door silver Saturn at 12:26 p.m. and later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, officials said.
Divers remained in the water 90 minutes after the woman was recovered looking for other possible victims, but found none. Harper officials were not disclosing Thursday whether the woman was affiliated with the college.
A joint investigation involving Palatine police, Harper College police and the Cook County medical examiner's office is ongoing.
The Palatine Fire Department received a report of the submerged car at 12:07 p.m. and were on the scene within 5½ minutes, according to fire officials. A dive team from the department entered the water and recovered Auer from the car at 12:26 p.m.
In all, 13 divers, 22 firefighters and three command officers from fire departments in Palatine, Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect and Schaumburg participated in the rescue and recovery effort.
Only the very top of the car's roof was initially visible above the surface of the pond, located approximately 150 feet from the nearest paved area of the college's parking lot, near the Euclid Avenue entrance.
A diver begins to search for victims of an accident that occurred when a car drove into a pond on the north side of Harper College in Palatine. A woman transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com
Palatine firefighters search a pond at Harper College Thursday afternoon after a car went into the water about noon. A woman transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com
Fire department divers search for victims of an accident that occurred when a car drove into a pond on the north side of Harper College in Palatine. A woman transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com
A fire department diver nears a submerged vehicle in a pond on the north side of the Harper College campus in Palatine. A woman transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com
A fire department diver nears a submerged car in a pond on the north side of the Harper College in Palatine. A woman transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com
Fire department divers enter the water as they search for victims of an accident that occurred when a car drove into a pond on the north side of Harper College in Palatine. A woman transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com
Groceries spill from a car recovered in a pond on the north side of Harper College in Palatine Thursday afternoon. A woman transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com
Police inspect a car that was driven into a pond Thursday on the north side of Harper College in Palatine. A woman transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com
A car recovered from a pond on the north side of Harper College in Palatine sits on the sidewalk Thursday afternoon. A woman transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com