Orestimba Creek drowning case closer to jury

Closing arguments are expected to start today in a wrongful death trial involving a man who drowned in Orestimba Creek near Newman.

The judge in the civil case and attorneys spent Thursday afternoon hashing out jury instructions, reviewing evidence and discussing other matters.

The trial is focused on whether Hector Alvarez drowned because government workers failed to barricade flooded Eastin Road.

Alvarez of Crows Landing drowned after the car he was riding in hit a flooded part of Eastin and was swept into a torrent late New Year's Eve 2005.

This story was originally published April 8, 2011 at 12:28 AM with the headline "Orestimba Creek drowning case closer to jury."