3 Southland residents die in irrigation ditch crash
A fishing trip turned tragic when a family’s sport utility vehicle plunged into an irrigation ditch west of Stockton, killing three people, including two small children, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol used a crane Sunday afternoon to pull the red 1998 Chevrolet Blazer out of the 25-foot-deep ditch near Discovery Bay. Six people were inside the SUV when it went off the road Sunday morning. CHP Officer Scott Yox said the driver apparently was going too fast and lost control.
Cousins Soledad Rodriguez, 4, of Inglewood and Christian Anthony Rodriguez, 5, of Lennox died at hospitals after a family member was able to remove them from the sinking SUV.
The driver, Selisiano Rodriguez Pacheco, 25, of Inglewood, died at the scene.
Three passengers survived, including the 33-year-old father of the dead boy. He and an 8-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy, who apparently were Christian’s brother and sister, suffered minor injuries.
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