Alligators Complicate Rescue Efforts in Florida Canal Crash
Rescue divers were unable to immediately reach a pickup truck that plunged into Florida’s Cow Pen Slough Canal on Sunday, June 22, due to the presence of large alligators in the murky waters. The vehicle, driven by 19-year-old Fredy Chavez Sanchez, crashed off a bridge and landed upside down.
According to the Venice Police Department, the single-vehicle crash occurred just before 7 a.m. when a red Ford Ranger traveling westbound on Rustic Road at high speed left the roadway, struck a Florida Power & Light Company pole, and came to rest inverted in the canal.
“After FWC removed two large alligators from the area, Venice divers assisted by Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Special Ops conducted an assessment of the vehicle, confirming one entrapped deceased male,” police reported in a news release.
Chavez, who had recently graduated from high school and was planning to attend college, was from Guatemala. A fundraising campaign indicated that he died at the scene. The cause of death has not been officially released, and an investigation into the crash is ongoing.
The incident highlights the dangers posed by wildlife during rescue operations in Florida’s waterways. Venice is located approximately 70 miles south of Tampa.
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