Willows man survives rollover into canal

Glenn County Observer

He took his Chevy to the levee but, unfortunately, the levee wasn’t dry.

Witnesses rescued a Willows man who flipped his Chevy Suburban into the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District canal Sunday afternoon.

At 3:35 p.m. on April 16, Mike Martindale, 37, of Willows, was driving a 2013 Chevy Suburban west on the southern levee of the GCID canal, east of Highway 99 and north of County Road 53, at about 25 miles per hour.

Martindale attempted to turn left off of the levee road onto a north-south oriented levee road.

Martindale failed to negotiate the curve and lost control of his Chevy.

The vehicle continued in a southwesterly direction and overturned into an irrigation canal.

According to what was heard on the police scanner, the Chevy became about half-submerged in the canal.

Martindale was extricated from his vehicle by citizens who were nearby and witnessed the accident.

Some sources say the witnesses revived Martindale by performing CPR on him.

According to CHP Officer Cushman, Martindale was flown by Flightcare helicopter to Enloe Medical Center in Chico as a precaution.