Pleasanton Teacher Killed After Car Plunges Off Cliff

BAY AREA, CA — Two Dublin women, one of whom was a Pleasanton Unified School District teacher, were killed Saturday morning after their car plunged about 100 feet down a Bodega Bay cliff.

The Sonoma County Coroner's Office identified the victims as driver Maria Teixeira, 64, and passenger Elizabeth Correia, 41.

Teixeira was Correia's mother, Bay Area News Group reported. She was a beloved custodian at San Ramon's Montevideo Elementary School for more than 20 years, said San Ramon Valley Unified School District spokesperson Denise Jennison in an email.

"For years, Mrs. Maria was a fixture in our community. She could be found on our campus every day doing whatever needed to be done to serve the community," wrote Principal Katie Witt in a letter to the school community. "Wherever there were people, wherever there was an activity, wherever there was someone who needed help, Mrs. Maria was there and willing to help. The kids loved her kind smile and reassuring presence. She will be greatly missed."

Correia was a Lydiksen Elementary School first grade teacher, the Pleasanton Unified School District confirmed. Counseling services and support will be available Monday, April 12, when school resumes, the district said.

"Our hearts go out to Elizabeth Correia’s family and our Lydiksen community," PUSD said in a statement. "Elizabeth touched the lives of many of her students and colleagues."

Lydiksen Elementary School Principal Jacob Berg remembered Correia as a longtime, outstanding teacher at the school. "Ms. Correia always put the students first in her role as a first grade teacher at Lydiksen," he said in an email.

Teixeira was driving a silver Rav4 Toyota around 11 a.m. Saturday at the West Bodega Head parking lot when her car entered the lot, continued west without slowing or stopping, and struck and moved a log barrier at the edge of the cliff, according to the California Highway Patrol. The car continued over the cliff and crashed onto rocks below.

The women died at the scene, though Bodega Bay Fire Protection District personnel initially tried to use rope to reach the trapped women.

Witnesses said the car was not speeding or driving erratically.

— Bay City News contributed to this report