Man dies after SUV crashes into southwest Miami-Dade canal
MIAMI - A man died after he crashed his SUV into a southwest Miami-Dade canal early Friday morning.
The accident happened near SW 167 Avenue and 42 Street around 2:40 a.m.
The man, driving a Nissan SUV, plowed through a barrier and then plunged into the canal, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office.
A Miami-Dade Sheriff's dive team was called in and divers pulled the man from the water. The man was rushed to HCA Kendall Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The dive team also searched the area around the submerged SUV but did not find anyone else.
Carla Malvacias, who lives in the area, said she heard noises outside and looked out of her windows. That's when she noticed the police, fire rescue and a vehicle in the water. She said it's not the first time something like this has happened.
"I peeked through the window and I saw a car that was submerged. I noticed that a cop had gone into the water and realized that they took somebody out of the car. This has happened many times before, but never a fatality. This is terrible because they don't put any signs out there and there are no lights out there. The only thing they have is the guardrail. There is no indication that there is a canal here. Even in the daytime, I hear people slamming on their brakes," she said.
The name of the man who died has not been released. What led to the crash is under investigation.
