School teacher Laura Jones Tavel dies after car crashes into Gwinnett County pond

Investigators have identified a woman killed when she drove straight into a Gwinnett County pond Wednesday moing.
 
The incident happened on a cut-through street in Peachtree Coers, surrounded by an office park.
 
Witnesses say 53-year-old Laura Jones Tavel never made the curve and then never tried to get out after the car began to sink.

Fulton County Schools said that Tavel was a teacher at River Trail Middle School since 2001.
 
”I thought it was too steep to go over, said Karen Coett, who works in the area of the crash.
 
As Tavel’s small Honda SUV was brought out of the water, nearby office workers joined investigators in trying to figure out what happened.
 
”It's pretty much straight to the stop sign, so I'm not sure how that would have happened, a man named Shawn told reporters.
 
Witnesses told police the woman was heading eastbound on Peachtree Coers Circle when she drove straight into the pond.
 
From News Chopper 2 the first firefighters that arrived at the incident could be seen treading water trying to rescue her.
 
”They were using pipe poles or anything they could use to gain access to the vehicle, said Capt. Tommy Rutledge with Gwinnett County Fire and Rescue.  
 
Because the vehicle was 20 feet under water and filled with air pockets, they couldn't reach the victim. 
 
Divers from Hall County pulled her body from the water a couple hours later. 
 
There are no skid marks visible on the road.
 
The medical examiner is now trying to figure out if the Duluth-area woman suffered from a medical condition or what happened in the seconds before witnesses saw the car go under.
 
”As the vehicle was nose-down, quickly sinking into the water, they could see the individual, the driver. There didn't appear to be any attempts to try and exit the vehicle, Rutledge said.
 
Investigators said Tavel was the only person in the vehicle.