In a frantic call to 911, Fawzia Jamshidi pleaded for help Monday afternoon.
Her car had run off a Gwinnett County road and into a muddy creek. The water was moving fast, pulling the 2014 Volkswagen Jetta with it. Jamshidi was out of time.
Witnesses watched helplessly, yearning to help. There was nothing they could do.
"There were two people that watched her, behind her, that watched her drive off the road and off the embankment and slip into the Jackson Creek and then get carried away," Capt. Thom Bardugon with Lilburn police said Tuesday.
Rescue crews arrived at Jackson Creek within minutes. But it was too late for Jamshidi. Both she and her car were out of sight and reach of swimmers.
Around 4 p.m., just over three hours after Jamshidi drove off Harbins Road, firefighters located the car, about 400 feet downstream. Jamshidi, 57, of Loganville, was dead when rescue workers reached her sunken car.
The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Jamshidi died from accidental drowning. An autopsy will be conducted to determine if there was any medical reason for Jamshidi to leave the road, Bardugon said.
Investigators have not determined what caused Jamshidi to leave the roadway, Bardugon said. Heavy rains early Monday caused the creek to swell, but it was not raining at the time of the wreck.
"There's no indication that (it was) anything other than she had an accident for reasons unknown…." Bardugon said.
Jamshidi's family members requested privacy Tuesday and declined to speak to Channel 2 Action News. They described Jamshidi as one of a kind.
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