Mother is charged with attempted murder after crashing her black Nissan with her two children inside through the guard rail and over the cliff into the ocean
- The 38-year-old woman, who has yet to be named, was allegedly driving a Nissan sedan at a high rate of speed shortly after 8 a.m. last Friday
- She then crashed through a guardrail and wooden bench into Monterey Bay, authorities said
- Surfers assisted the family of three to safety early Friday after the crash
- Her children, who's ages have not yet been revealed, were not seriously injured in the crash
A mother faces attempted murder charges after she drove off a cliff with her two children in a car last week.
The 38-year-old woman, who has yet to be named, was allegedly driving a Nissan sedan at a high rate of speed shortly after 8 a.m. last Friday in Santa Cruz before she crashed through a guardrail and wooden bench into Monterey Bay, authorities said.
Surfers assisted the family of three to safety early Friday after the crash as the car was lodged in a nearby cave inlet.
Her children, whose ages have not yet been revealed, were not seriously injured in the crash.
A California woman who drove off a cliff with her two children in a car last week is under arrest and faces attempted murder charges
The majority of the car, a Nissan sedan, is still stuck in a cave inlet
The 38-year-old woman, who has yet to be named, was allegedly driving a Nissan sedan at a high rate of speed shortly after 8 a.m. last Friday in Santa Cruz
Police have not revealed the woman's motive.
The mother was taken to a trauma center for treatment of her injuries shortly after the crash.
The sedan ended up submerged in the bay between rocky outcroppings at the end of the street and had not been removed as of Monday, officials said.
'The car is still submerged but we are constantly re-evaluating that for the intent of getting it out,' Sheriff’s Office deputy Sgt. Dan Robbins said. 'We have additional resources coming to help with retrieving the car.'
Law enforcement officials were suspicious about the circumstances of that crash from the start.
Surfers assisted the family of three to safety early Friday after the crash as the car was lodged in a nearby cave inlet
'Right now, we are investigating whether this was accidental,' Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Ashleey Keen told local KSBW. 'If it was intentional. There were a lot of witnesses in the area and we're looking for any surveillance footage that could lead us to those answers.'
One of the surfers who helped rescue the family spoke out about her condition.
'She was pretty banged up and in shock,' Joe Evans said. 'I think she was pretty roughed up. I ran over there. There was another surfer out in the water. We both got there about the same time. Everyone was still in the car. The surfer helped them get out. He used his surfboard as a backboard. We got them on the beach and got them stable.'
The car drove straight through the guardrail and ended up submerged in the water
California Highway Patrol spokesperson Alyssa Gutierrez confirmed the automobile was still submerged when the family was rescued.
The majority of the car is still stuck in that cave inlet.
'It's in a really difficult location,' Santa Cruz Harbor Master Blake Anderson said. 'Typically, you would use airbags. The same type of airbags when a vessel sinks in the harbor just to be able to get that vehicle, in this case up and floating.'
The car likely won't be towed until sometime in October due to current weather conditions.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
