Article content

TORONTO — The body of a woman whose car crashed through a guardrail on a Toronto bridge and plunged into the harbour was pulled from the water Friday morning.

Police said a Toyota Corolla it crashed through the Cherry St Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge while it was travelling northbound and landed in the water around 4 p.m on Thursday.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Woman's body pulled from water after car crashed through Toronto bridge and into harbour Back to video

A cyclist who witnessed the accident dove into the freezing waters in a rescue attempt, but was unable to reach the driver, TorontoFire platoon chief Kevin Aucoin said. The shipping channel is nearly six metres deep. The cyclist was treated at hospital for hypothermia.

On Friday, Const. Clint Stibbe said police also recovered the “substantially damaged” car from the lake. It will be transported to a service facility for inspection.

Police are still investigation what caused the unidentified woman to crash through the bridge’s guardrail. At this moment, Stibbe said the car’s speed may have caused the accident.

“We haven’t made a determination as to why the vehicle left the roadway but speed is being looked at as a factor,” Stibbe said, adding that it’s too early to know whether a medical or mechanical incident also played a role in the crash.

The woman’s age is expected to be released later today, but her name will be withheld, Stibbe said. She was the only person inside the vehicle when the accident occurred.

Police reopened Cherry St. this afternoon, but reduced it to one lane.