An unidentified female driver was assisted out of the Coquille River Friday morning, Aug. 7, after her vehicle plunged off Hwy. 42 South, east of Bandon, and into the river. Michael Whitney and his father Ben, heard the crash about 8:20 a.m. and saw the vehicle floating in the river. Michael then saw the driver get out of the sinking vehicle and dove in to assist her to the river bank on the opposite side. She reportedly had a cut on her head, and an ambulance took her to Southern Coos Hospital in Bandon. A tow truck was brought in to pull the sunken vehicle out of the river.
