FRESNO COUNTY, CA – Authorities have identified the man who tragically drowned after crashing his vehicle into a canal Friday night as 36-year-old Manuel Guzman, according to the Fresno County Coroner’s Office.
The incident occurred just after 9 p.m. when the California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported a Mercury Milan traveling south on Chestnut Avenue, north of North Avenue. For reasons still under investigation, the vehicle suddenly veered west and plunged into an active canal.
Witnesses said Guzman was able to exit the vehicle and call for help but disappeared underwater before emergency responders could reach him.
Search and rescue teams, along with officers, combed the canal and located Guzman approximately 80 feet south of the submerged vehicle around 10 p.m. Life-saving measures were initiated on the scene and continued as he was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
CHP investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances that led to the crash.
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