We are sad to report (thanks for the tip Yasmine) that Dr. Zehra Attari’s body has been found. It doesn’t appear to have been foul play, just foul weather that is to blame. America’s Most Wanted reports:
After a six-week search, Dr. Zehra Attari’s body was found in her car at the bottom of the Oakland Estuary in Almeda, Calif.Divers at the Grand Street pier on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2005 located a car matching the description of Attari’s 2001 gray Honda Accord. After lifting the car from the murky water, police discovered the doctor’s body…
According to police and residents, the road on which Attari was traveling is deadly — no barrier between the street and the water exists. They say it is likely that someone who didn’t know the area could drive off the pier and into the water unknowingly. [Link]
This is kind of scary because I think it may remind many of us about our own mothers. Her family describes her as being an under-confident driver and easily disoriented when traveling new routes. I know this description fits my own mother when she is faced with highway driving.
Attari was not far from her destination that evening on Nov. 7. A right turn onto Otis Drive would have set her back on track. Instead, Attari made a left. When she finally made a right a few blocks down, it was onto Grand Street.<
p>While Grand Street is not exactly a road to nowhere, it is a road that leads directly into the cold black waters of the Oakland estuary. That is where Attari’s journey ended. [Link]
I feel sorry for Dr.Attari.
I have had a similar incident, where a friend of mine, made a wrong turn. It was at night and we were not from around there. Being a cloudy night, we could not really see the water.
But what stuck me was the fact that the road was wet around where we turned. It had not rained or anything. On closer inspection, we figured that it lead to the lake.
I feel really sad for Dr. Attari and her family. It is the needlessness of it all that really sticks with one. I pray for her soul and her family’s peace.
This is terrible. How awful for her family. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
Salil – you are an idiot.
Salil,
IMHO, that was funny, but this may not be the appropriate thread to post it in.
Salil,
Way to threadjack man. I think it’s entirely fucked up to post a list like this in the comment section of a story about some poor old woman who died. I mean, if I were Dr. Attari’s son, it would only intensify my grief and anger. Also, any list that connects driving style to race is inherently racist.
Having said that, however, in any other context it’s pretty damn funny…. 🙂
Yes, yes, I know. Allegations of threadjacking–it’s all valid. I am…an utter…ass.
But you know what? It’s raining.
So there you go.
salil — either you have way too much time on your hands to be coming up with a 10-point essay like that, or you wrote it a while back, and have been waiting for just the right moment on SM to post it. my guess is the latter, no? 😉
lol Salil’s essay was pretty funny.
As for the good Doctor, I suppose it’s a small mercy she wasn’t murdered or anything as our imaginations had previously lead us to believe.
And yeah, Abhi, you’re right. I fear for my own parents as well…especially when they’re going from Fremont to Sunnyvale on the 880 in a thunderstorm. (anyone who’s lived in the Bay Area knows what I mean.)
You mean between Dana Bazaar and Town Center Cinema? 😉
Actually, chucky, I was stuck at my computer waiting for this one process to finish loading. I couldn’t leave, I couldn’t do anything else (well, except surf…that takes no CPU power), so I churned it out.
Anyway, as far as DDD’s allegations of racism go, eh, whatever. Say what you want. All I have to say is that the people who generally scream loudest about racism are usually the ones who’ve experienced it the least.
And finally, Suneeta. Yes, you are correct. So from now on I’ll leave the brain surgery to folks who belabor the obvious.
I grew up in the Bay Area too. Two months after I got my drivers license my family moved to D.C. My mom and I made a pact that we’d learn the highways around D.C. together. It didn’t happen. Then once she got traumatized while picking me up from BWI because she ended up on the Maryland Eastern Shore. That was the end of the pact.
Aww this is such a sad ending though I’m not sure I thought it would end better. I did hope.
What I don’t understand is didn’t they trace her steps and look for skid or runoff marks on the road. How does it just go unnoticed that she went off a revine or whatever it was she went off. Damn.
But unfamiliar roads at night can be scary. I’ve had my share. I nearly went off a dead end road that ended into the Susquahanna river in PA some years ago. It just ended into the water, no barrier, no warning nothing. It didn’t even say dead end. It wasn’t till my lights flashed onto water that I realized I was in nearly in the water and the end of the road. This story just brought back bad memories.
just checked into the blog.. oh gosh.. my prayers and thoughts are with the family… i’m glad it wasn’t foul play… that would’ve disturbed me more…but it is still tragic…
sigh….
lol shooot… It’s all about Fremont Bazaar. =P Although, Dana Bazaar does have some nice chaat.
Wow.
Does that mean that the more people call me “Osama” the less likely I am to think of it as racism? That doesn’t make any sense….
Thass crazy talk yo. Martin Luther King used to talk about racism a fair amount, guess he never experienced it. I have experienced barely any racism at all, and I rarely talk about it.
Dr. Attari left behind a beautiful family … my prayers are with them.
Sad news. RIP Dr. Attari.
Sonia – why is there a causal link between the attractiveness of her family and your prayers? That’s fucked up.
WTF?? You must be joking – or you’re just bizarre as your previous irrelevant posts indicate. I was referring to the spiritual beauty and kindness of her daughters and husband who I knew while growing up. You don’t even realize how angry your comment just made me but I’ll refrain from going off on that.
SJM, you know I love you, but…enough. Sonia grew up with those girls. Let’s not play semantics.
For months, I’ve maintained a very consistent position that posts like this should keep a respectful tone, for the sake of family members of the deceased who inevitably find their way here. I’ve been away from SM for a few days or I would’ve said something much earlier.
My prayers are with all who are affected by this tragedy. I know what it’s like to lose someone under heartbreaking conditions and my thoughts are especially with Dr. Attari’s children at this time.
Just a little more info. A friend sent me this article from the SF Chronicle and found me this link to a sattelite image of the area.
I’ve been staying away from this thread (and commenting in general) paritally b/c it is so very sad, and I wasn’t sure what to say that wasn’t trite or cheap, and because this was a wonderful woman deserving of the utmost respect. I was driving around right there—took a wrong turn near Tilden—only a few days ago. I didn’t even make the connection with Dr. Attari, but I remembering being glad I hadn’t asked my Mom to drop me off, b/c it was such an odd place to drive. I remember that that night Dr. Attari disappeared, it was raining very heavily. It’s so sad to know that someone who had so much real courage, so much strength of character, so much accomplishment, was felled by darkness and rain and poor design.
Anyway, Anna has made me want to say something. Attari family and friends and patients, if you find your way down to this little comment—your Mom/wife/friends/doctor made a great impression on me reading about her, and I am sure, on many other people here at the Mutiny. It seems awful to think of any good coming of her death, but I hope that the road will be fixed, and I hope that at least all the publicity will serve to get her story–her whole story–out into the world. I hope that buried amid all the speculation and random blatherings will be little seeds of inspiration–how we will always remember the story of one of our Mothers who came to this country and worked so hard and braved so much anxiety and trouble to chase such kind dreams—and that we will work a little harder and a little more unselfishly by having heard of her.
I believe the Mutiny is about more than witty and not so witty banter–about more than even elections won, industries dominated, insults avenged, movies made, or rights protected. If I’m mutineering against anything, I hope it’s against isolation and lack of community, against forces of society–often unwilled forces!–holding back kindness and good will. I can’t think of a better icon for a mutiny of kindness and good will than Dr. Atarri. Bay Area Mutineers—I won’t be able to do anything about this for quite a while, or even keep track. But please keep me–and the Mutiny–posted of developments. If her family needs help getting a barrier there, perhaps we’ll be able to help them. If her clinic needs help, maybe we can help keep her work going. Who knows? We can try.
Rest In Peace, Dr. Attari.
“The Asian dude with the “tricked out” Civic with neon underbody kit and spoiler the size of a picnic table.”
Salil, I believe these are affectionately known as “Rice Rockets.” I have no idea if it refers to the origin of the car or the origin of the driver. And I don’t have the least f-ing idea if the term is considered racist or not.
“The old man in the Buick.”
And this is affectionately known as “my dad.” Yes, the guy who once drove from Colorado to Memphis in under 13 hours, who now chews me out for going over 70.
Probably Salil has no idea what is it to loose a dear family member. His comments are pretty disgusting. It only shows his character and his family background.
His comments weren’t wisely placed or timed, but there’s no need for additional negativity in this space. Let’s focus on Dr. Attari and her family, not other comments, please? I DO know what it’s like to lose someone, so Raj I know you’ll agree when I write that it brings much comfort to people who are grieving, to know they are being remembered and prayed for as well. I’ll never forget the people who called me and left messages for me every day, asking if I was okay or if I needed anything. I didn’t pick up the phone (I couldn’t), but I listened and was overwhelmed and grateful for such care. We may not know an address or phone number for them b/c we don’t know the Attari family personally, but we can emulate such respectful and generous concern here. I know they will appreciate being thought of at this time.
Sorry, Sonia–I didn’t know this was a personal loss. Unfortunately, I’m more prone to trying for comedy (even in poor taste) than compassion. I’m not real good with that. Besides, I don’t really know about 99% of the people who comment on SM. Any death is tragic, but a death is not more tragic because it happened to someone you know. Or conversely (as any one of you will happily point out to me), a death is no less tragic because it happened to someone you don’t know.
As far as my character goes, though–eh, go for it Raj. I suppose I deserve it for breaking out gallows humor in a town where I’m new to the territory, anyway. As BNL put it, I’m the kind of guy who laughs at a funeral. But as far as your assertion goes, I don’t think it’s possible to live past the age of 30 without losing someone close to you. ‘Nuff said. Flame away.
I remember seeing this on Fox News and was so sad because I could see my mother doing the same thing. I was afraid that she had come upon foul play and had saved her name on my computer so I could look it up and check to see if she had been found. I was cleaning up my desktop today and saw the article and took the time to look her up and found your site. How horrible for her family, but I am glad that they found her and will not be wondering the rest of their lives as to what happened to her. God bless them.