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| Emergency crews work to recover a vehicle from a canal near Signal Butte Road and Dragoon Avenue in Mesa following a fatal crash. Mesa Fire & Medical, Mesa Police and additional agencies responded to the scene. Video courtesy of Emberdrake Aviation. |
One Dead After Vehicle Crashes Into Mesa Canal
By Ciara Perez, Senior Multimedia Correspondent
UPDATE 3:50 PM MST - Changed vehicle type.
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MESA, Ariz. — One person is dead after a vehicle crashed into a canal near Signal Butte Road and Dragoon Avenue in Mesa, prompting a large multi-agency rescue and recovery operation Friday.
Signal Butte Road was closed in both directions approaching Dragoon Avenue while emergency crews worked the scene and investigators began their response.
Mesa Fire & Medical Captain Richard Harless said crews were called to reports of a single vehicle that had crashed into the canal.
Multiple people initially attempted to reach the submerged vehicle and determine whether anyone trapped inside could be rescued.
Harless said that by the time Mesa Fire & Medical crews arrived, the vehicle was completely submerged.
“When our crews arrived on scene, the vehicle was completely submerged,” Harless said.
According to information provided to firefighters by Salt River Project, the canal was approximately 18 to 20 feet deepin the area where the crash occurred.
“We had levels that were about 18 to 20 feet deep of water, and the vehicle was completely under it,” Harless said.
Mesa Fire & Medical deployed a full technical rescue team and made initial efforts to locate any victims who might still be alive inside the vehicle.
Crews searched for possible air pockets or other signs of survivability inside the submerged vehicle.
“We made every initial effort that was possible to identify any viable victims, any chance for an air pocket or something like that,” Harless said.
Those efforts did not locate anyone who could still be rescued.
“None were found on the initial reconnaissance. No air pockets, no survivability,” Harless said.
At that point, the operation transitioned from a rescue effort to a recovery operation.
A heavy wrecker was brought to the scene to remove the vehicle from the canal.
Once the vehicle was recovered, Harless confirmed that one person was found deceased inside.
“We did have one patient that was deceased,” Harless said.
No additional people were identified inside the vehicle, according to Mesa Fire & Medical.
Fire officials did not immediately release the identity, age or gender of the person who died.
After Mesa Fire & Medical concluded its portion of the response, the scene was turned over to the Mesa Police Department for further investigation.
A Mesa Police representative said investigators had only just taken over the case and did not yet have additional information available for release.
The circumstances leading up to the crash remain under investigation.
Signal Butte Road remained closed in both directions approaching Dragoon Avenue while emergency crews and investigators continued working the scene.
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