Man dies after car goes into West Valley City canal

West Valley City • West Valley City police say a man was killed Tuesday after inexplicably accelerating through an intersection, losing control of his car and plunging through a fence into an irrigation canal.

Sgt. Jason Hauer said the 11:30 a.m. crash, during which the man's vehicle rolled onto its side and into the waterway near 6400 W. Park Way Blvd. (2800 South), did not involve any other vehicles.

Witnesses told police that the man, later identified as 32-year-old Antonio Quintanilla, was driving erratically northbound on 6400 West before coming to a complete stop about 100 yards shy of the intersection. Then, suddenly, the vehicle bolted through the intersection and crashed.

The car landed with its passenger side submerged in the canal. Responding officers were able to reach Quintanilla, cut him loose from his seatbelt and pull him up onto an embankment and begin CPR.

However, when paramedics arrived moments later, they were unable to resuscitate Quintanilla, and pronounced him dead at the scene.

A woman who Quintanilla had been staying with recently said he arrived from New York three days ago, coming to the state to look for work.

Yessenia Zelaya told The Tribune that Quintanilla is a relative of one of her friends.

He came home last night at about 4 a.m. Zelaya left in one of her cars to grocery shop Tuesday morning, but while shopping, she got a call from police informing her that her second car was in the canal.

Zelaya, who lives about 10 blocks south of the crash site, said Quintanilla had taken the car without her permission.

Because fuel from the car may have leaked into the canal, health and fire department personnel were in the canal, assessing the situation.

mmcfall@sltrib.com