Family Of Woman Who Died After Driving Into River Hires Attorney
WEST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A woman who died after her car drove into the Sacramento River is getting the attention of attorneys.
An attorney for the family of Mussarat Chaudhary released the frantic 9-1-1 call. In it, you can hear Chaudhary panicking as her car went into the river.
Investigators say nearly two weeks ago Chaudhary was traveling along Old River Road in Yolo County when she called her family to say she couldn't stop the car. It was apparently out of control.
CHP says Chaudhary came off the roadway, went down the ravine, through some trees and into the river.
Chaudhary: "My car in river."
Dispatcher: "Your car in the river?"
After plunging into the cold, fast-moving river, she calls 9-1-1.
Dispatcher: "OK. What language do you speak?"
She speaks an East Indian dialect. And minutes later, the dispatcher finds a translator who confirms the report.
Translator: "She's in the water, she's in the car."
Trapped, Chaudhary tries smashing out the windows to escape, but can't.
Translator: "She says no because the windows are closed and she can't get out."
After about eight minutes of floating, her car finally sinks and she drowns.
Dispatcher: "It sounds like I lost her."
"We'll get that CHP's investigation, we'll use that," said Christopher Wood, the family's attorney.
Chaudhary's body was found in the backseat of her 2009 Toyota Camry – a vehicle that was part of a major recall. Four million of the vehicles were recalled for stuck accelerators and other issues.
"A stuck accelerator, a potential brake problem or a combination of the two," said Wood.
Her family is wondering who's at fault.
"And they want to make sure that other folks in the community don't go through this," said Wood.
We reached out to Toyota for a comment and Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. Safety and Quality Communications Manager Brian R. Lyons responded: "We sympathize with anyone in an accident involving one of our vehicles. We can't comment further at this stage except to say that we are committed to working in close partnership with law enforcement agencies and federal regulators with jurisdiction over accident scenes whenever requested.
