Watsonville woman identified after driving off embankment and dying at Seacliff State Beach
APTOS, Calif. (KION-TV)- UPDATE ON APRIL 3, 2023 AT 11:17 AM: The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office has identified the woman who died at Seacliff State Beach as 68-year-old Michele Rimando of Watsonville.
Rimando died when she drove off an embankment in a southern direction on South Park Drive and onto Seacliff State Beach on Saturday morning.
Watsonville woman dies after driving off embankment at Seacliff State Beach
Update: April 1, 2023, at 2:13 p.m.- The California Highway Patrol says a 68-year-old woman who drove off an embankment at Seacliff State Beach Saturday morning has died.
Officers responded at around 8:19 a.m. to reports of a vehicle on its roof. When officers arrived, they found a single occupant in the vehicle, and she was taken to Dominican Hospital.
The woman, who was only identified as a 68-year-old from Watsonville, was driving a 2018 Toyota in a southern direction on State Park Drive south of Santa Cruz Avenue and into the Seacliff State Beach.
CHP said for an unknown reason, she drove off the roadway, down an embankment, and crashed into the picnic area. She later died of her injuries at the hospital.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and it is unknown if drugs or alcohol played a part, said CHP. The driver was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office will release the driver's identity later.
ORIGINAL STORY
California Highway Patrol is investigating why a 68-year-old woman drove off a cliff at Seacliff State Beach Saturday morning.
Officers responded at around 8:19 a.m. to reports of a vehicle on its roof. When officers arrived, they found a single occupant in the vehicle.
Officers said she suffered major injuries and was taken to Dominican Hospital. Investigators are unsure why she drove off the cliff.
Investigators said she was at the beach's parking lot, drove to the end and nose-dived to the bottom.
This is a developing story.
