A tragic accident while mushroom picking lead to an Aberdeen woman's death this week. The Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office reports that at about 4:30pm Wednesday afternoon, deputies responded to the 600 block of U.S. Highway 101 of Cosmopolis with what was originally reported as a rescue call. This was approximately one mile South of the U.S. 101 interchange. A motorist in the area had come into contact with a frantic female that was a 29 year old Aberdeen resident. The female told deputies that she and her friend had been in the area picking mushrooms. Eventually her friend did not return to their vehicle and when she went looking for her, found her friend on a steep hillside, hung up with a mushroom picking basket hanging around her neck and vegetation. The female was able to free her friend before running to the highway to flag down help.
Deputies eventually located a 28 year old Aberdeen woman approximately 100 yards off the highway, on a logging road. Evidence from the scene supported the female friend's account. Deputies processed the scene as the coroner's office responded and had the victim removed. At this point, it appears to be a very tragic accident as the victim fell down a steep embankment and got caught up in vegetation. She was in a position where she could not physically free herself.