WESTLEY — A 52-year-old Westley woman died Tuesday afternoon after her SUV left Howard Road, crashed through a fence and plunged into the Delta-Mendota Canal, prompting a prolonged recovery effort and renewed calls from local firefighters for a review of mutual-aid practices.
The California Highway Patrol said the incident was reported at about 1:43 p.m. June 10, when a caller reported a silver SUV in the canal with an occupant still inside. When officers arrived, the vehicle was fully submerged.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team was requested and later recovered the vehicle — a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee — with the driver still in the front seat. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office identified her as Laura Cueva, 52, of Westley.
According to CHP investigators, Cueva had been driving westbound on Howard Road at an unknown speed as she approached the canal. For reasons still under investigation, she made a right turn, left the roadway, broke through a metal fence and entered the waterway.
Authorities said it remains unclear whether the incident was accidental or intentional. It has not been determined whether alcohol or drugs played a role.
Howard Road was closed from Stark Road to Interstate 5 for roughly five hours while crews conducted the investigation and recovery.
Union calls for review of rescue protocols
After the fatality, IAFF Local 4577 — the union representing Patterson Fire Department firefighters — issued a public statement calling for a formal review of mutual-aid resource-request practices in West Stanislaus County.
According to the union, West Stanislaus County Fire Protection District was dispatched to the initial report of a vehicle in the canal, with early information indicating the occupant was still conscious and the vehicle remained afloat for a period of time.
Patterson Fire maintains a specialized Water Rescue Unit at Station 51, staffed with trained personnel who were available at the time of the call, the union said. However, those resources were not requested.
“While no one can say with certainty whether any particular resource would have changed the outcome, incidents such as this warrant a careful review of whether all available rescue resources were considered and utilized,” said Nicholas Jamieson, president of IAFF Local 4577.
Jamieson emphasized that the union is not assigning blame for the fatality but is seeking a transparent evaluation of how mutual-aid decisions are made, particularly in situations involving water rescues.
“Our members are committed to protecting all residents throughout the region, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries,” Jamieson said. “We believe a transparent review of current practices is appropriate and necessary to ensure that specialized rescue resources are requested whenever circumstances justify their use.”
The union said it has formally requested that county fire service leadership review the incident and assess whether improvements to resource-ordering procedures are needed.
The CHP investigation into the crash remains ongoing.
