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April 11, 2010

One person dead after car overturns, crashes into canal near the downtown Safeway

Authorites were still searching for a third person who was in a car that veered off San Miguel Road Sunday, and overturned into the canal that runs along the Iron Horse Trail, a crash that left a second person dead and a third hospitalized.

The single-vehicle crash occurred around 6:10 p.m. during a heavy storm. The car, carrying three people, was traveling north on San Miguel Road when it lost control and plunged into the canal near Walker Avenue. The car flipped and was carried several hundred feet north in the chopping, rushing water where it came to a rest in the rushing water.

One person was trapped inside and found dead. The two others were swept downstream, and one was rescued several miles downstream by rescue personal. The Contra Costa Times says that a helicopter and rescue personnel pulled a woman out of the water near the intersection of Bancroft Road and Treat Boulevard in Concord.

That person, believed to be a woman, was transported to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.

The third person remains missing.The names of the people in the car, including the person who died, are pending until notification of family.

Several agencies including the California Highway Patrol, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, Contra Costa County Fire, AMR and the Walnut Creek Police Department participated in the rescue efforts along with the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Search and Rescue Team. The search for the missing occupant continued into the night.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I got stuck on Bancroft near Treat. Apparently, someone was or might have been swept down to the canal over there? I don't know anything about how these waterways connect.

I had to detour back to Oak Grove and go down Monument to Hookston and back to Bancroft. By that time, they had cleared the roadway, but it looked like they had investigators with equipment there. The ambulances were gone; just an Officer guiding traffic.

Praying that the third victim is discovered alive, that the hospitalized victim recovers, and for the decedent's family. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this tragedy.

Anonymous said...

Was this right by the Safeway?

Oh, my. I send my prayers to all involoved. I am sorry for the families.

Masterlock said...

How did the car get down into the canal? That is awful, my heart goes out to everybody involved.

obiwan said...

"...traveling south on San Miguel Road..." would take you to Newell. What must have happened is that they intended to turn south onto San Miguel (off Mt.Diablo Blvd) behind Safeway and turned (early) into the canal instead.

Anonymous said...

I live across the street. The car was travelling down San Miguel Dr towards Mt. Diablo and apparently went right thru the intersection and somehow ended up in the canal.

I have no idea how.

They took out at least one street sign and had to go thru a fence. It's probably a few hundred feet from the sidewalk to the canal. Very sad and baffling.

Anonymous said...

SM I think the car might have been travelling North on San Miguel, crossed over Walker and went through the fence into the canal.

Anonymous said...

This is getting national coverage. I saw a report on MSNBC this morning. Also, local radio coverage stated that the driver died, two passengers were swept away. One was recovered alive and is in good condition, and one is missing. I hope they find the missing person's body soon; the wait must be just awful for the family.

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their family and friends during this tragic time.

Martha Ross said...

9:01,
Yes, I wrote "south." I left home this morning for a couple appointments, thinking, I should have written north... Thanks for letting me know.

Dear 8:28 a.m. and everyone else,
I went jogging (in the rain) and came down (north) on San Miguel...
Speed limit there is 25 mph. and it levels off, right, past Sierra Drive, then curves towards Walker.

But from San Miguel, the car had a straight shot through the stop sign across Walker and into the canal.