A San Diego County man was involved in a Fresno-area freeway crash that fatally injured a woman riding in his car over the Presidents Day weekend, authorities reported Tuesday.
The Chula Vista man was behind the wheel of a southbound 2019 Honda Accord that veered off Interstate 5 south of state Route 41 for unknown reasons and plunged into the California Aqueduct shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The driver was able to exit the vehicle and swim to edge of the canal, but his 24-year-old passenger remained inside as it filled with water and sank, the CHP reported.
Emergency crews, including a team of divers, eventually recovered the body of the woman, whose name was withheld pending family notification.
The driver, who suffered minor injuries in the wreck, declined medical assistance.
Intoxication was not believed to have been a factor in the accident, according to the CHP.
