SLO County sheriff identifies driver who died after being overtaken by floodwater
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman who died Monday near Avila Beach after floodwaters overtook her vehicle.
Avila Beach resident Karen Buccat, 60, was driving on Avila Beach Road east of San Luis Bay Drive when her SUV began to submerge under the water, the Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
Dispatchers received multiple calls around 12:30 p.m. Monday about a vehicle with a female driver being overtaken by floodwater on Avila Beach Drive east of San Luis Bay Drive, the CHP said in a news release Tuesday.
“Roadway closures were previously placed throughout the area,” the CHP said in the release.
CHP officers and emergency personnel responded to the scene to attempt a rescue, but the vehicle could not be reached by standard emergency vehicles, the release said.
Cal Fire deployed a swift water rescue boat to reach the vehicle, and located a white Ford Escape containing a solo female driver “overtaken by floodwater,” the CHP said.
Emergency personnel found the woman, later identified as Buccat, “deceased in her vehicle,” the CHP said.
The incident is still under investigation, the agency said.
Buccat is the second local person confirmed to have died during the storm.
The Morro Bay Police Department found a 78-year-old man was found dead inside a stored boat in the 1500 block of Main Street on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, multiple law enforcement agencies continued to search for 5-year-old Kyle Doan, who was swept away by floodwaters near San Miguel on Monday.
This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 1:35 PM.
