Livingston driver rescued after crashing into canal near Delhi, CHP says

A Livingston man was rescued after crashing into a canal just north of Delhi on Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officers responded to the area of Merced Avenue and West Harding Road at about 12 p.m. for a report of a vehicle into a canal, according to CHP Officer Eric Zuniga.

Rescue units arrived on scene and found the driver, who was outside the driver-side window, and the car was completely submerged, according to the CHP.

Zuniga said it appears the 62-year-old man from Livingston, was traveling westbound on the north bank of the High Line Canal at an unknown speed when for unknown reasons, the vehicle drifted into the canal about 500 feet east of Merced Avenue.

Fire personnel attempted to pull the driver to safety with a rope, however, those efforts were unsuccessful as the driver was getting progressively weaker during rescue efforts.

A CHP officer was eventually able to reach the vehicle after a ladder was used to create a bridge between the canal bank and the top of the vehicle, authorities said.

Zuniga said that when the officer reached the vehicle, the driver began to go underwater, resulting in the officer jumping into the canal and pulling the unconscious man to safety.

The driver of the vehicle was taken to Memorial Hospital by ambulance and is in critical but stable condition, according to Zuniga.

Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the collision, which is still under investigation, according to the CHP.

This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 1:07 PM.