Deke Farrow – The Modesto Bee
Mar. 9—A 4-year-old girl died at a Modesto hospital Sunday after being freed from her car seat in a submerged SUV late Saturday night, according to the California Highway Patrol. The child’s mother, who crashed into a canal east of Hickman, was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI. Other charges are almost certain but could not be confirmed by the CHP.
Shortly after 11 p.m., the CHP and other law enforcement and medical responders got a report of a solo vehicle crash on Arlberg Road where it ends at Canal Bank Road and the Turlock Main Canal.
A Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office deputy was first on scene and found two people atop a vehicle that was submerged in the canal, according to a Modesto Fire Department incident summary. “One child was also reported missing,” the summary says.
The deputy “heroically, and without hesitation, entered the frigid water and rescued” the driver’s daughter with help from the child’s uncle, CHP Modesto office spokesperson Officer Tom Olsen said in an email Sunday.
The plan was to take her to a hospital by helicopter, but “it was determined that the patient was not stable enough to be flown,” so she was taken by ground ambulance, the Fire Department summary says.
The preliminary investigation into the crash found that Oakdale resident Juliette Marie Acosta, 26, was driving a Subaru SUV south on Arlberg at an unknown speed, Olsen said.
“She unsafely turned to the left off the road and sideswiped a wooden electrical pole,” Olsen wrote in an email to The Bee. “The Subaru continued in a southerly direction, and again unsafely turned off the road, this time up an embankment and into the canal,” where it became fully submerged.
Acosta’s uncle heard the crash from his residence, rushed to the scene and was able to get Acosta out of the SUV, Olsen said. However, her 4-year-old daughter was still inside the vehicle within her car seat.
PHI Air Medical, Oak Valley Ambulance and American Medical Response all responded to the scene. When the child was freed, she was taken by AMR to Memorial Medical Center for treatment of major injuries. Information on the nature of her injuries was not available Sunday morning.
Acosta, who was uninjured, displayed signs of intoxication and was arrested for felony DUI by the CHP. She was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.
“The Modesto CHP would like to recognize the heroic efforts from the Stanislaus County Sheriff Deputy and family member on scene,” Olsen said in his email. “Law enforcement officers take an oath to risk their own lives rather than swerve from the path of duty. Although unharmed, this deputy did exactly that.”
This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 9:52 AM.
- Earthquake Centered Near North Hollywood (CA) Shakes Region
- Ukiah Valley (CA) Fire Authority Reports on Efforts to Train More Paramedics
- Toxic Industrial Chemical Being Found in CA Street Fentanyl
© 2025 The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.). Visit www.modbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
