Coroner: Elderly crash victim died of natural causes before car submerged in water

BATON ROUGE, LA (NBC33) — An autopsy has been completed on the 89-year-old woman who was found dead in her vehicle after it ran off the road and sank in a creak near the Mall of Louisiana.

East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner William “Bo” Clark says Vivian Augustin died of natural causes. He explained that she suffered from cardiovascular disease.

“There’s nothing to indicate that the motor vehicle crash contributed to her death,” he said.

Vivian’s vehicle went off Frontage Road at roughly 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 10 [1]. Her SUV went through a barricade and ended up in Ward’s Creek. It took emergency responders several hours to recover the vehicle.

Vivian died on her 89th birthday.