Modesto man, 77, dies after Riverbank car fire

A man whose car caught fire after he drove it onto a levee in Riverbank on Wednesday has succumbed to his injuries, Riverbank Police Services reported Thursday.

Anthony Bedford, 77, of Modesto, was seen by witnesses driving his car up a walking path and onto the bank between the Stanislaus River and River Cove Drive.

He turned toward the river and the front end of his car went down the embankment toward the river.

Three men ran to Bedford’s aid trying to get him out, but he was wedged in the driver’s side of the vehicle, according one of the men, Mike Wagenhoffer.

As Wagenhoffer urged the man to take off his seat belt and reached for him from the passenger’s side, the grass beneath the car caught fire.

Modesto Fire Department Investigator Craig Davis determined that the car accident caused the fire. He said witnesses were telling Bedford to turn his car off but he kept spinning his tires.

Wagenhoffer ran to get a fire extinguisher but when he returned, the car was engulfed. The other two men had managed to get Bedford out of the car, but the fire became too intense and prevented pulling him clear.

They heard Bedford calling for help, and they yelled back for him to descend toward the river.

Firefighters arrived and extinguished the flames, and Bedford was taken by helicopter to the burn center at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. He died early Thursday morning.

This story was originally published October 30, 2014 at 1:18 PM with the headline "Modesto man, 77, dies after Riverbank car fire."