The operation to recover a 79-year-old man who disappeared when his family's car overturned into Walnut Creek Sunday was called off Monday night after the extensive search yielded no signs of him, a Contra Costa County sheriff's spokesman said.
The effort to find the body of James Hogan ended at about 7:20 p.m. But there will be sporadic searches for his body as the water level continues to drop.
"In spite of 50-plus personnel, dog units, helicopters, boats -- there was no sign of him," sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said.
The car plunged into the rain-swollen creek about 6:10 p.m. Sunday near Mount Diablo Boulevard and San Miguel Drive, Walnut Creek police Lt. Shelly James said.
The driver, 40-year-old San Diego resident Tim Hogan, James Hogan's son, was trapped inside the 2000 Honda Accord and pronounced dead at the scene.
James Hogan's wife, Janet Hogan, 75, was saved in a dramatic rescue.
Lee said that although the operation to recover the body of James Hogan has been called off, officials will make sporadic searches and divers are expected to return to the creek when the water level drops.
James Hogan had volunteered with the sheriff's department for almost 16 years at the Alamo station, where he coordinated other volunteers, Lee said. "He knew many people," Lee said. "He was well-liked, well-respected and we'll miss him.
The firefighter who pulled Janet Hogan from the water said at a news conference in Concord Monday afternoon that teamwork made the rescue possible.
Bay City News
