Three people died after a vehicle became submerged in water near Los Banos, despite rescue efforts by several good Samaritans who entered the water to try to save those trapped inside, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP Officer Shannon Stiers of the Los Banos division said the vehicle was found upside down and completely submerged.
"The vehicle was completely submerged, upside down. It's about 3 to 4 feet, so you could only see the wheels," Stiers said.
According to Stiers, officers who responded to the scene described a significant effort by bystanders to rescue the occupants before emergency crews arrived.
"Talking to an officer at the scene, he jumped in the water, and there were at least 2 other people in with him when they were trying to get ready to move the car. And he said, all of a sudden it felt like more people kept jumping in. He said they were able to get the car on its side. He said it was kind of amazing," Stiers said.
Stiers said about eight people entered the water and worked together to access those inside the vehicle.
"We had probably eight people that got into the water. They got the vehicle on its side as they were able to access people inside, got them to the bank and started performing CPR," he said.
Despite those efforts, two victims died at the scene and a third died at a hospital.
Authorities said the victims were a man in his 60s and two women from Los Banos. CHP later said the victims ranged in age from 59 to 69 years old. Their identities have not been released.
Stiers praised the actions of those who attempted the rescue.
"But everyone did what they could to try to save some lives. I think any normal person would, whether it was a family member, son, or daughter, try to do the same," he said.
Overland Avenue and H Street were closed for several hours while CHP investigated the incident.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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