Seattle Woman Dies In Fall Accident From Boat

An initial investigation into the death of a woman pulled from the water from the Ballard Bridge last week has determined an accidental fall from a boat led to the tragedy.

According to the Seattle Times, 33-year-old Lia Hawkins was an employee on the M/V Sahara, a 300-foot boat that was formally a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship. She was reported missing last week after she left for work, and her body was recovered by divers a day later. While rescue teams had no luck finding the woman on Thursday, she was found floating near a pier near the Ballard Bridge on Friday.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office found that she died from drowning after suffering a skull fracture, and Seattle Police believe that she most likely fell from a dock or from the boat. They believe that Hawkins’ death was an unfortunate fall accident and that no foul play was involved.