UPDATE Thursday, 9/4/2025 – 4:30pm: Officials confirmed that one person has died following a car crashing through a fence into Ketchikan Creek Thursday morning. In a press release, the city said the driver accelerated through a parking space in the Centennial parking lot. The car struck a pedestrian, broke through the wooden fence, and landed in the creek. The pedestrian was pronounced dead. Officials identified the victim as a 57-year-old woman from Auburn, Indiana. She and her husband were cruise passengers visiting Ketchikan.
Three other people, including the driver, were transported to the island’s hospital. One remains in critical condition. The other two were released with minor injuries, according to the city.
The car was removed from the creek Thursday afternoon. Ketchikan police are still investigating the incident. They said the deceased victim’s family has been notified.
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City officials in Ketchikan say at least one person is dead after a car went over the guardrail into Ketchikan Creek at about 8:40 Thursday morning. A press release from the city said pedestrians were also involved in the crash. How many people were involved and how badly they were hurt were unclear as of Thursday afternoon.
Ketchikan Creek runs through the center of Historic Creek Street in downtown, which is a busy area during tourism season. A wooden railing and walkway near the footbridge appeared to be damaged from the crash. It was roughly a 10-foot drop to the rocks and creek below.
At noon on Thursday, the car was still submerged upright at the bottom of the creek, between the Tongass Historical Museum and the Good Fortune Chinese Restaurant. Ketchikan police and all of the island’s fire agencies were still on site. The north entrance to Creek Street and much of the Centennial Parking Lot were cordoned off to keep out crowds of onlookers.
City Spokeswoman Kim Simpson said the state Department of Environmental Conservation was at the crash site to deal with any fuel that may leak from the vehicle into the creek, which is a salmon spawning stream.
Simpson said the vehicle will be removed once the police investigation is finished.
This is a developing story.
