March 19--A woman--who witnesses said drove an SUV off a 250-foot cliff from a U.S. 101 turnout Wednesday--was identified as a 23-year Lincoln City resident.
Lt. Gregg Hastings, an OSP spokesman, said that at 8:40 a.m. a southbound driver saw a 2008 Saturn Vue driven by Adriana Star Ruiz pass their car at a high rate of speed, travel through the turnout and over the cliff.
The SUV was spotted resting 250-feet below on rocks near the surf line below the highway just north of the Otter Crest Loop Road, about 4 miles south of Depoe Bay.
"We are trying to determine whether it was accidental or intentional," Hastings said of the incident. "The final determination will be made by the Lincoln County medical examiner."
Emergency responders from Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Depoe Bay Fire District, Pac West Ambulance and OSP troopers responded to the scene and confirmed that Ruiz died in the crash.
A rope rescue team was lowered down to the crash site, and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was used to bring Ruiz's body up to the roadway, Hastings said.
--Stuart Tomlinson
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