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Fawzia Jamshidi, 57, killed, after her car leaves Harbins Road in Lilburn, and crashes into swollen Jackson Creek, where it quickly submerged.

Modified Date: 
Sat, 10/28/2017 - 8:01am
Accident Date: 
Monday, April 7, 2014

Car pulled out of swollen creek, 1 woman dead.

More than eight hours after a woman drove her car into a swollen creek, crews were able to recover the car she was driving.

More than eight hours after a woman drove her car into a swollen creek, crews were able to recover the car she was driving. At about 6 p.m. Monday, first responders pulled the woman's body, identified as Fawzia Jamshidi, 57, from the creek and transported her to the medical examiner's office. Hours later, the car Jamshidi was driving, a two-door Volkswagen sedan, was also pulled out of the muddy swift waters. Witnesses called 911 at about 12:30 p.m. and said Jamshidi left the roadway in Lilburn near Harbins Road and Arrowind Road and entered the creek below. Tire marks show where she veered off the two-lane road a couple hundred feet from the Jackson Creek bridge. Witnesses said the car hit the water and quickly became full of water. They described seeing the car bob up and down with the tail of the car in the air, then go under water.   

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Type: Car Accident
Topics: 
Accidents in Waterways
People Involved: 
Fawzia Jamshidi
Roadway: 
Harbins Road and Arrowind Road
City: 
Lilburn, GA
County: 
Gwinnett County, GA
Area: 
Atlanta, GA

Comments

Submitted by Ray Campbell on Mon, 04/28/2014 - 11:41pm
On March 24, 2014, the Citizens Project Selection Committee ( CPSC ) submitted its list of recommended transportation projects to the Gwinnett County, Georgia, Board of Commissioners. Should these projects be approved by the Board, they would be funded through the 2014 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax ( SPLOST ). In the category of Bridges, Culverts and Transportation Drainage ( TIER I ), Harbins Road at Jackson Creek is recommended for improvements in Alignment and Safety. As mentioned in my original comment, there is an immense need to accommodate pedestrian traffic on the Jackson Creek bridge as well.

Submitted by Ray Campbell on Thu, 04/10/2014 - 6:35pm
About 3 years ago, Gwinnett County used SPLOST funds to make major improvements to Harbins Rd between Singleton Rd and Lawrenceville Highway aka Highway 29. Intersections with Dickens Rd and Williams Rd were improved with modern traffic signals, left and right turn lanes and guard rails. Sidewalks were added and Harbins Rd was resurfaced. Sadly, for reasons unknown to me, the Jackson Creek bridge was not included in the improvement program. While the improvements to Harbins Rd were certainly needed and welcomed by the community, they have resulted in increased traffic flow on Harbins that makes the deficiency of the Jackson Creek bridge even more obvious, and, given the recent accident, even more regretable. We hope that Gwinnett County will reconstruct the bridge to make it equivalent to the bridge on Hillcrest Rd or better.

Submitted by Ray Campbell on Thu, 04/10/2014 - 2:08pm
This slab bridge carrying Harbins Road over Jackson Creek is listed on uglybridges.com for good reason. Built in 1968, it has no guard rails, no shoulder on the approach from Highway 29 and no accommodation for pedestrians. Since the summer of 2013, I have increasingly noticed that pedestrians are crossing the bridge by walking in the roadway. Twice, I have slowed or stopped on Harbins Road before the bridge because of pedestrians on the bridge and oncoming traffic. This bridge should be rebuilt to current standards.

Submitted by Ray Campbell on Sat, 10/28/2017 - 1:45am

In February, 2017, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners approved a $2.9 million contract to replace the Harbins Rd bridge over Jackson Creek. Construction began on May 30, 2017, and will continue through Halloween. Harbins Road will be raised on both sides of Jackson Creek and the new bridge will be constructed to meet the new elevation of the roadway. Sidewalks will be constructed on both sides of Harbins Rd from Dickens Rd across the new bridge to Lawrenceville Highway ( US 29 / GA 8 ). These sidewalks will improve pedestrian safety. 

Submitted by Ray Campbell on Sat, 10/28/2017 - 1:55am

For the record, this accident and subsequent drowning occurred on Monday, April 7, 2014, at about 12:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time. The date given above, April 6, 2014, is not correct.

Submitted by Ray Campbell on Sat, 10/28/2017 - 2:13am

At the time of the accident, the temperature of the water in Jackson Creek was about 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Divers from Gwinnett County Fire & Rescue wearing wet suits and searching for the vehicle were unable to remain in the creek due to the risk of hypothermia. Ms. Jamshidi's vehicle was ultimately located using a large inflatable raft to support divers using pikes to probe beneath the surface of the opaque, muddy current. Sadly, had Ms. Jamshidi been able to exit the vehicle, the temperature of the water would have caused her to go into hypothermic shock almost immediately with little chance of survival.

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