Only hours after being rescued after getting lost while hiking two women, one five months pregnant, drowned when their car went off of a boat ramp and into the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Amy Stiner, 37, who was pregnant and Melissa Moyer, 38, were able to call 911 after their van hit the water but the phone went dead and they were unable to escape. A dog that belonged to one of the women was also drowned in the van. Authorities suspect that the weather conditions, it was very foggy and raining, contributed to the accident, according to the Portland Press Herald.
"The end of the road becomes the boat landing and they just weren't familiar with it," Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith said. "It was foggy and rainy and they literally drove off the boat landing right into the water. It's just so easy to do. When I got the call last night, I knew what had happened."
Other people had driven off of the boat landing the past although never with such tragic results. Smith told the Portland Press Herald that it is possible that the electric locks and windows on the van may have stopped working once the van hit the water, trapping the women.
Earlier while hiking in Roque Bluffs State Park the two women were unable to find where they had parked their car and it was quickly getting dark so they called for help. An off-duty firefighter found them and took them to a local house where they waited for a game warden to take them back to their vehicle. While leaving the park Stiner took a right when she should have taken a left and that is how they ended up on the unfamiliar road, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Stiner and her husband, Greg, had moved to the area from Pennsylvania about two years ago, Moyer was visiting the couple from Pennsylvania. The Stiners operated an organic farm that was affiliated with Tide Mill Farm. Aaron Bell, one of the owners of Tide Mill Farm, spoke with the Bangor Daily News about Stiner.
"Amy was fully dedicated to the local foods movement," Bell said. "They've been working with us for two years. They were excited to get experience any way they could. This is just a tragedy. Everyone is in shock right now."
