BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An elderly Alabama woman died after her car plunged five stories off a public parking structure and landed upside down Thursday morning, officials said.
The woman was identified as Janette Daniels Johnson, 82, of Hoover, Alabama, according to the the Jefferson County coroner. She was in her car on Dec. 14 when it fell from the fifth floor of the parking garage at Birmingham’s Grandview Medical Center, WVTM 13 reported.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service responded about 8:30 a.m. to a call of a crash with a person trapped inside the vehicle at Grandview Hospital.
When first responders arrived on scene, “crews saw one vehicle that had crashed through the parking deck and landed upside down on the roof of the car,” Birmingham Fire officials said.
“At this time one victim has been found deceased inside of the car. There are no further details that we have at the moment. The cause of the wreck is under investigation.”
Johnson died from injuries sustained during the fall, according to the coroner.
There was no one else inside the vehicle when it fell from the parking structure, fire officials confirmed.
“We don’t know the circumstances right now,” said BFRS Battalion Chief Clay Hendon. “I’m sure there will be security cameras and stuff to see. At this time, we don’t know how this incident occurred or what caused it.”
The case is being investigated by the Birmingham Police Department.
The parking garage was equipped with cables and concrete barriers that should prevent this kind of incident from occurring, Hendon told media outlets, according to Yahoo News.
“We thank the many officers and workers from our local police, fire and EMS services for their assistance and quick response to an accident on our campus this morning,” Grandview Medical Center said in a statement, according to ABC 13/40 news. “They are your best source for information.”
