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Placerville Woman Dies After Driving Vehicle Through Wall Of Garage And Plunging 20 Feet

PLACERVILLE (CBS13) - A Placerville woman was killed when her vehicle fell 20 feet from a garage and landed on its roof.

The accident happened on Thursday. When officers arrived, they found that the vehicle had driven through the back wall of a home's garage and landed 20 feet below, upside down.

The driver, 78-year-old Carol Dirkse, was awake and speaking at the time, say police. She told officers she was pulling into her garage when she pressed on the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal and lurched forward, crashing through the back wall of the garage, according to a statement from Placerville Police Department.

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(credit: El Dorado County Fire Protection District)
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(credit: El Dorado County Fire Protection District)
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(credit: El Dorado County Fire Protection District)

She was the only person inside the vehicle at the time. She was taken to Marshall Hospital by ambulance for treatment and later transferred to UC Davis Medical Center where she later died.

The collision is still under investigation. Neither drugs or nor alcohol is suspected of contributing to the crash.

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