Woman drowned in car is Philly's first flooding fatality

A 27-year-old woman driving home late Wednesday got caught in flood waters in East Germantown and drowned, becoming the city's first flood-related fatality.

The woman, whose name hasn't been released, called her father, a city police officer, to tell him she was on her way home, police spokeswoman Officer Tanya Little said. When she hadn't arrived by yesterday morning, the officer went to Northwest Detectives to file a missing-persons report.

Officers on patrol spotted her Pacifica SUV abandoned at the corner of Musgrave and Haines streets about 11:45 a.m. and had it towed, Little said. Authorities discovered the dead woman in a rear seat inside the car after it arrived at the tow lot, Little added.

"She got caught in her car (in flood waters)," police Lt. Raymond Evers said. "A tragic, tragic case."

Autopsy results are pending.

This has been one of the wettest summers on record, with Tropical Storm Lee the latest deluge to keep the city underwater. Just over 3.65 inches of rain fell yesterday in Philadelphia, a record for that date. The area where the dead woman's car was found is a flat, low-lying area with churches on two corners and train tracks running nearby. Awbury Arboretum is located about four blocks north.