BODEGA BAY, California (AP) – Dozens of people at a popular northern California coastal lookout watched an SUV pass a parking lot without braking and then fall off a cliff into the rocks below, killing two women, investigators said Monday. market.
The cause of the weekend accident is still under investigation, said California highway patrol officer David de Rutte. Testimony from initial witnesses indicated that the vehicle passed a wooden barrier in a large parking area on the Bodega Bay head trail before falling off the cliff.
“Witnesses saw the vehicle passing through the parking lot – and it continued to drive,” said de Rutte. “Did not stop. There was no acceleration, but there was also no braking. “
Investigators are still trying to determine whether the accident was accidental or intentional, he said.
Both women were found dead when rescue workers arrived at the Toyota SUV, which had landed on its roof on the rocks about 30 meters below.
Authorities identified the driver as Maria Teixeira, 64, and the passenger as Elizabeth Correia, 41, both from the city of Dublin, in the San Francisco Bay area, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of the crash site.
The Mercury News reported they were mother and daughter, both public school employees in the Bay Area, according to relatives and sheriff officials. Teixeira was the primary caretaker of the Elementary School of Montevideo, in the neighboring town of San Ramon, and Correia, a first-grade teacher at the Lydiksen Primary School in Pleasanton.
Erin Aitken, professor and former colleague of Teixeira, fought like many who knew her to make sense of the accident.
“She was a good and warm person, so smiling and happy. She helped everyone, ”said Aitken, recalling Teixeira’s pride when his daughter became a teacher. “She was a great cheerleader for her children. And she clearly loved being around children. “
Correia’s biography on the school’s website said that since 2005 he taught in Pleasanton, where he grew up.
“She enjoys teaching, reading, music, art, movies, Disneyland and spending time with friends and family,” says the website.
The accident happened on Saturday, when hikers and bathers flocked to the panoramic viewpoint of the Pacific Ocean to enjoy the good weather over the Easter holiday weekend.