TWIN LAKES, Calif. — A California mother has been charged with attempted murder after crashing a vehicle carrying her two children through a barrier and into the ocean last week, according to reports.
The crime took place Friday morning in Twin Lakes, Calif., near an intersection that is situated on the northern portion of Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz County.
The dark-colored Nissan reportedly hit a bench and then barreled through guardrails alongside the cliff and into the ocean below, directly into Monterey Bay. There were no other vehicles involved in crash. Consequently, investigative law enforcement officials were suspicious about the circumstances of the wreck from the outset, Law & Crime reported.
“Right now, we are investigating whether this was accidental,” Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ashleey Keen told 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.”
According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, surfers came to their aid and helped rescue the family of three after the Nissan got stuck in a nearby cave inlet.
Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office confirmed the surfers heroic efforts in a tweet.
The woman suffered numerous injuries. After being transported to a nearby hospital, she was then airlifted to a trauma center. Both children reportedly sustained only minor injuries.
“She was pretty banged up and in shock,” Joe Evans said, according to Santa Cruz weekly Good Times. “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.”
Spokesperson Alyssa Gutierrez of the California Highway Patrol confirmed the car was still submerged when the mother and her children were rescued.
The woman has yet to be named but she was charged with attempted murder and child endangerment late Monday morning, according to Phillip Gomez of KSBW.
Debris from the vehicle washed up on shore for hours after the incident. The majority of the car, however, remained stuck in the cave inlet.
“It’s in a really difficult location,” Santa Cruz Harbor Master Blake Anderson told KSBW. “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.”
Law & Crime reported the car likely will not be recovered until sometime in October due to current weather conditions.
