Modesto man who died in crash into canal identified. Bystanders found him in the water
A 58-year-old man who died Wednesday after crashing into a canal west of Modesto was identified by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office as Karl Obert.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the Modesto resident was driving a Honda sedan west on Woodland Avenue, approaching a slight bend in the road at Clark Avenue.
Obert “lost control of the vehicle and traversed the bend,” according to a press release. The Honda left the north side of the roadway and went up a dirt embankment, where the left side of the car sideswiped a wooden telephone pole before entering the canal.
CHP Officer Tom Olsen said bystanders heard the crash and found Obert in the water about 40 feet from his vehicle. They pulled Obert out of the canal as emergency personnel arrived but he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Olsen said Obert was not wearing his seat belt. Based on his injuries, investigators believe he died from the impact of the crash rather than from drowning, Olsen said.
Speed is believed to be a factor in the collision. It has not yet been determined if drugs and/or alcohol were factors.
