The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the woman who died when her car ran off a Lilburn road and into a rain-swollen creek Monday as Fawzia Jamshidi, 57, of Loganville.
Rescue workers late Monday pulled Jamshidi's car from the churning waters of Jackson Creek.
Investigators have not said what caused the car to leave Harbins Road and plunge into the water.
More than three hours after running into Jackson Creek, Jamshidi was found dead inside her vehicle Monday afternoon. It was not the outcome rescue workers nor witnesses wanted.
"The best outcome would have been that they would've gotten down there and been able to find a viable person," Gwinnett fire Lt. Colin Rhoden said. "But unfortunately, what occurred was the person was deceased at the scene."
A wrecker truck was dispatched to the area to remove the vehicle from the water shortly after 4 p.m. Monday, but it was late Monday before the car was pulled from the water..
"They were further downstream in the bend of the river where there's a lot of debris, trees, and what we call strainers," Rhoden said.
Jamshidi's body was pulled from the vehicle and taken to the county's medical examiner's office, where an autopsy will be completed.
Witnesses watched helplessly as the car went off a Lilburn road and into the creek Monday around 12:30 p.m.
Muddy tire tracks showed the path the vehicle traveled off Harbins Road. But swift-water team swimmers were initially unable to locate the vehicle despite the use of poles dropped into the water, Rhoden said.
"It is speculated that the caller to 911 may have been the person inside the vehicle that was swept away," Rhoden said.
Several people in the area watched the car go into the water, investigators said. George Ruiz told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he saw a car in the water and tried to drive his own truck to a spot to help, but was stuck in mud.
"It's a helpless feeling," Ruiz said. "All you can see is the car going down and starting to go under and there's not a whole lot you can do."
Ruiz said the vehicle was possibly a small "crossover" type, but that it was submerged too quickly for him to get a better look.
The area had recorded nearly four inches of rain since Sunday. Water in the creek had dropped about two feet by the time the vehicle was located, Rhoden said. But the creek's waters were still high and fast-moving, making the conditions treacherous for firefighters, he said.
"It is hazardous anytime anyone is near swift water," Rhoden said. "As deep as the river was and is, it was very hazardous for responders."
Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.
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