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Updated
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Coroner’s Office determined today the man and his mother whose car ended up submerged in Mayfield Lake died from drowning.
The incident in which the sport utility vehicle traveled off U.S. Highway 12 and sheered off several trees down an embankment before landing in the water on Sunday night was witnessed by boaters, according to authorities.
Life-saving efforts for Eric T. Sprague, 44, of Olympia and his mother Lorraine J. Sprague, 60, of Mossyrock, were unsuccessful.
It happened just before the west end of the bridge. They had been heading eastbound.
Their 2013 AUDI Q7 sport utility vehicle was recovered on Monday.
The Washington State Patrol is investigating the cause of the wreck. However, state patrol spokesperson Trooper Will Finn said initial observations suggest speed as a factor in the incident, given the length of the path the vehicle traveled.
It will likely be many weeks before the investigation is finished, according to Finn.
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CORRECTION: This news item has been updated to reflect the correct age of the passenger.
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For background, read “News brief: Two dead after SUV goes into Mayfield Lake” from Monday July 24, 2017, here
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The car is pulled from Mayfield Lake. / Courtesy photo
Tags: news reporter
She had a kid at 16? Of all the places on the road the SUV veers off on the only section of road with no guardrail? Sounds fishy. Were they arguing? Well never know out of respect of the family it’s best not to speculate. Maybe they should put up two stop lights one at each end of the bridge, a memorial and a double guardrail. After all it is mossyrock.
You know all the people who have nothing better to do than to pick the world apart and all the people on it because they are not as perfect as the the bully, really should remember what life really is about. Have some compaction for this family. It seems hardly any one can get on social media with out picking on, belittling, or scrutinizing someone in almost every tragedy. Most of you are just judge mental asses with a Hollier than thou attitude that you picked up along your way at a half assed attempted to make your self feel better than or smarter than those involved or effected by the ordeal. What ever happened to showing others that they have support in there time of need. My thoughts and prayers go out to this family and their friends. This is truly a devastating event and I apologize to for the cold hearted snide comments made by the asses who obviously don’t care about any one else and need to start a gossip chain and or a whinny bitch session about right and wrong when what’s important is that the community should be their to love and support to the ones feeling the loss of their loved ones.
I believe the coroner is prohibited by law from identifying any fatality until next of kin has been notified and I don’t believe either Sharyn, Warren McLeod or the State Patrol are going to violate protocol like that. If there’s any beef, maybe it’s with the family member who took that call and committed the “crime” of not immediately telling everyone else because they were a little preoccupied with grieving?
@shsnnon @Trisha So the coroner released the information to news outlets such as this one. They then report on it and your anger is with this site for reporting it?
Seems like your beef should be wth the coroner and not this site.
I for one am shocked like the others that the cause of death was drowning… What are the odds with a car being submerged in a giant body of water.
I’M WONDERING IF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL PLAYED A FACTOR IN WHY THIS OCCURRED,,.??
But you weren’t bitching at the medical examiner you directed your hostility towards the editor of this article.
To someone needs a nap and a sandwich, maybe you need a HAM SANDWICH!!! The point being is, we know our loved ones went into the lake. The family was waiting for the coroner’s call, the corner decided to give the results to the public first. Not cool!!!
Between shsnnon. And trisha. There seems to be 2 extra chromosomes that if they managed to find themselves into one person would have made for an extroidinaty leap for our species, but as it stands them going to two different individuals. Just means that we have two water heads and two drowning victims. What a waste.
The State Patrol had already released the names of the deceased. That means the family members that were in line to be notified, had been notified. If you are a family member, maybe you weren’t on the family contacts list.
Shsnnon……… Judging from the limited amount of information that we have, i would say thd cause of death was either Malaria, or a combination of the effects of crucifixion. Either that or lead poisoning……. If it takes a coroner to explain that people drown when they breathe water into their lungs, and that is a shock or is somehow still a mystery to them then it doesn’t matter who they hear it from. Now, if one or both of them had a bullet in their head(s)……. That might be something to snivel and bitch at. Take your grief elsewhere and do it appropriately, you shouldnt be at the anger and blaming stage yet.
Sharyn I hope you feel proud of yourself for posting this on a public forum before there was a phone call to family. Social media is out of control and you are the ring leader. Shame on all involved.
LCCitizen says – here we go again-if only you were in a boat, I am sure you would of saved them……….
How did you Sharyn find out the cause of death before the family was notified??? The family should have not found out this way, thank you very much for not having a heart. Next time get your other facts straight also, who belongs too who!
All the boats in the area……..
RIP