Two Women Killed in Shoreline Accident Identified

Correction: Phyllis Soelter's name was not spelled correctly in the original version of this story. 

Two elderly women who died in an accident in Shoreline on Sept. 20 have been identified by the King County Medical Examiner’s office.

Elizabeth Van Wechel, 92, a front-seat passenger, died at Harborview on Sept. 20 of blunt force injuries to her torso and extremities.

Phyllis Soelter, 88, died two days ago after being in the intensive care unit at Harborview for several days. She suffered from breathing difficulties, internal injuries and broken bones.

The accident occurred when the driver, one of the three elderly women in the car, hit the gas instead of the brake and the car plowed into a wall of Jo-Ann Fabrics on Aurora Ave. North, according to a preliminary investigation by the King County Sheriff’s Office.