The family of Dr. Zehra Attari has sued the city of Alameda in connection with the San Jose pediatrician's drowning in the Oakland Estuary a year ago today.

The suit alleges that her car plunged into the water after the 55-year-old physician inadvertently drove down an improperly marked boat ramp off Alameda's Grand Avenue on that dark, rainy night. The submerged Honda Accord was not found until Dec. 20.

"This was a preventable death," said Mohinder Mann, the Attari family's San Jose attorney. "All they needed was a barrier there. Two other deaths occurred at the exact same place, in the exact same way."

After Attari's death, temporary barricades were placed in front of the boat ramps at the end of Grand Avenue. The suitseeks a more permanent solution.

"We need to turn those into permanent barriers," Mann said. "When Dr. Attari's car fell off into the water, it was an accident waiting to happen. There was no proper warning system."

Matt Naclerio, Alameda director of public works, said Monday that city staff were directed to install the temporary barriers by the City Council "as an abundance of caution" and not because "they determined it was unsafe." The barriers remain up.

Terri Highsmith, the Alameda city attorney, said she had not seen the lawsuit and had no comment.

The suit was filed Friday in Alameda County Superior Court and also names the California Department of Boating and Waterways and Alameda County as defendants. No dollar

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amount was listed in the suit, although it said the family seeks judgment for burial costs and loss of earnings for the popular physician.

Attari, who lived in San Jose but had her medical practice in Oakland, disappeared after leaving her office on the evening of Nov. 7 to attend a conference a few miles away in Alameda.

Numerous searches were conducted and family and friends traced and retraced routes Attari could have taken to the conference. It wasn't until a woman came forward and tipped police that authorities finally were able to locate Attari.

The woman said she had seen someone resembling the missing pediatrician in that area on the night Attari disappeared but had been hesitant to come forward.

"The Attaris are dealing with this the best they can," Mann said. "To them, time is the only healer. Mr. Attari said the void is there forever."

More than 100 people attended a day of prayer Saturday for Dr. Attari at the Saba Islamic Center in San Jose.

"The family is being helped by a lot of people in the community and are very grateful for that," Mann said.