ST. CROIX — A 96-year-old man died after his vehicle went over a cliff and overturned in the Salt River area of St. Croix Monday evening, leaving the SUV resting on its roof at the bottom of the embankment, according to the V.I. Police Department.
The deceased was identified as Donn B. Schindler, whose identity was confirmed by his next of kin.
According to the VIPD, the 911 Emergency Call Center notified officers from the Traffic Investigation Bureau at approximately 8:11 p.m. on October 19 that a vehicle had gone over a cliff in the Salt River area.
Responding officers discovered a white Kia Sorento overturned at the bottom of a short cliff. Preliminary findings indicate that Mr. Schindler had been traveling northeast down a hill when he lost control of the vehicle and drove over the cliff, causing the SUV to overturn.
Mr. Schindler sustained severe head injuries and subsequently died. Police did not specify when or where he succumbed to his injuries, and the circumstances that caused him to lose control remain under investigation.
The fatality occurred just two days after another deadly collision on St. Croix. On Saturday, October 17, 22-year-old Jeralys M. Guzman was killed when her Toyota RAV4 collided with an Acura near the Estate Castle Burke intersection. A front-seat passenger in the RAV4 was critically injured, while the Acura's two occupants sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The Traffic Investigation Bureau continues to investigate the Salt River collision.
