An off-roading adventure ended in tragedy Thursday night as a woman was killed when the Jeep she was riding in broke through the ice of a pond in Hants County, Nova Scotia.
Police say a man has been arrested for impaired driving in connection with the incident.
"My dad and I heard a big ‘bang,'" describes neighbour Lawrence Lake. "Then there were several ambulances, lots of cops and fire engines."
A mud-filled grill, broken windows and a severed seatbelt in the Jeep are eerie reminders of the tragic crash today.
Neighbours say the victim, a mother in her 30s, was off-roading with her partner, Steve Saunders, on a trail beside their home in Mosherville.
But the Jeep they were driving in plunged nose-first into an ice-covered pond off the trial and the vehicle became submerged up to the back wheels.
Police say the driver managed to escape but Mechelle Duncan was strapped in her seat and became trapped in the icy water.
"It was determined there was a lady in the passenger side and (she was) pronounced dead at the Hants County Community Hospital," RCMP Const. George Cameron confirmed to CTV News.
Police say the man believed to be driving the vehicle has been arrested for impaired driving causing death.
Meanwhile, neighbours say Duncan was a social butterfly who loved horses.
"Nice, friendly, funny, busy," describes friend Kelly Hill. "She was always busy and she was just a really nice person, someone you'd want to know."
The male driver remains in police custody. As of 6 p.m. Friday he had not been charged.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl
