Modesto man dies after car hits pole and spins into canal, CHP says
A Modesto man died Wednesday afternoon after his car hit a utility pole and spun into a canal, the California Highway Patrol said.
Authorities were called around 3:30 p.m. to the intersection of Woodland Avenue and Clark Road, about three miles west of the Modesto Junior College west campus, CHP officer Tom Olsen said.
They arrived on scene to find a 2001 Honda sedan in the Modesto Irrigation District canal and a 58-year-old man who had been pulled out of the water by good Samaritans who heard the crash. Emergency personnel pronounced the man dead on scene.
The man appeared to be driving west on Woodland and attempting a turn when he lost control of the vehicle, Olsen said. The investigation shows the car traveled in a northwesterly direction off the road, sideswiped a pole, rotated clockwise and and landed in the water.
Speed appears to be a factor in the crash, Olsen said. The driver was not wearing his seat belt, and he was found about 40 to 50 feet outside the vehicle.
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 5:23 PM.
