Woman dies after driving into large canal in Stanislaus County, CHP reports
A woman died Wednesday after driving into the Delta-Mendota Canal near her Westley home, the California Highway Patrol reported.
She was identified as Laura Cueva, 52, by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office. The CHP said the county sheriff’s dive team recovered her body from the submerged Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The CHP had responded at about 1:45 p.m. to a report of a vehicle in the canal near Howard Road, with one person inside. The news release did not say how long the Jeep had been there.
The CHP said Cueva was driving west on Howard at an unknown speed when she turned right and crashed through a metal fence along the canal.
The release added, “ The investigation remains ongoing. It has not yet been determined whether alcohol and/or drugs were factors in this incident.”
The emergency response meant a five-hour closure of Howard between Stark Road and Interstate 5.
The canal is part of the federal Central Valley Project, carrying water between San Joaquin and Fresno counties.
