Alligators Delay Rescue Operation 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 two large alligators. 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 landed upside down in the murky canal.
The driver, 19-year-old Fredy Chavez Sanchez, was found trapped inside the vehicle. According to the Venice Police Department, rescue efforts were delayed until the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission could dispatch trappers to remove the alligators from the area. The reptiles measured 7 feet, 9 inches, and 7 feet, 7 inches in length.
After the alligators were removed, Venice divers assisted by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Special Ops conducted an assessment of the vehicle, confirming one entrapped deceased male. A fundraising campaign for Chavez indicated that he died at the scene. Chavez, who had recently graduated from high school with plans to attend college, was originally from Guatemala.
The Venice Police Department reported that an investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. The incident highlights the dangers posed by wildlife during rescue operations in Florida’s waterways.
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