Woman dies as car flips upside down in Fresno County canal. Friend couldn’t save her

UPDATE: Coroner identifies woman killed in crash into Fresno County canal

A driver died Tuesday afternoon in a crash in the rain west of Fresno when she lost control of her car and flipped into a canal, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The crash took place at 2:45 p.m. near Tranquillity.

CHP spokesman Mike Salas said the driver, 38, was northbound on Colorado Road near South Levee Avenue when she lost control of her vehicle.

The car veered to the right into an irrigation canal full of water and flipped upside down. A male passenger was able to get out of the car, free the woman from her seatbelt and pull her from the water before emergency workers arrived. However, she did not survive and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Salas said investigators believe speed and wet roadways were factors in the crash. It is not known if alcohol or drugs played a part, pending toxicology results.

This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 5:01 PM.