Chowchilla man arrested after driving into irrigation canal

A Chowchilla man and three of his passengers were injured late Wednesday night when his 1998 Ford truck drove into an irrigation ditch in Fresno County.

Roy Branco, 20, of Chowchilla, was driving on the west bank frontage road of the Coalinga Canal, about two miles south of State Route 198, when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road and drove into the ditch, according to the California Highway Patrol.

All four people in the truck were taken to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno for medical treatment. One passenger, 20-year-old Lenai Munch of Coalinga, was hospitalized with major injuries.

Branco was later arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, the CHP said.