The family of a 91-year-old woman who died during the politically-motivated George Washington Bridge lane closures in September is saying that they don't blame the traffic jam for her death and it "was just her time."

Fort Lee emergency officials had blamed the traffic jam for preventing them from saving Florence Genova, who had fallen unconscious in her home. The 91-year-old died at the hospital of cardiac arrest.

EMS coordinator Paul Favia wrote a letter saying that ambulance response time was increased by seven minutes, but did not blame Genova's death on the traffic. Now, her daughter, Vilma Oleri, is saying the traffic had nothing to do with it and her mother had stopped showing signs of life before paramedics ever arrived.

"We believe she died in her home, but they couldn't pronounce her until she got to the hospital," her husband told the New York Times. "The traffic didn't make any difference."

They've both stressed that they want nothing to do with the growing political scandal surrounding the lane closures. Today, Chris Christie gave a press conference disavowing all knowledge of an email that his deputy chief of staff sent to Port Authority appointee David Wildstein, instructing him that it was "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

A month later, Wildstein — a former classmate of Christie's — shut down traffic lanes to Fort Lee, causing a massive traffic jam that added hours to millions of people's commutes.

[image via Getty]