Coroner Identifies 62-Year-Old Man Killed in Solo-Vehicle Crash into Canal on Herring Road
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Kern County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of a fatal solo-vehicle crash into a canal as 62-year-old Jorge Adan Machuca of Maricopa.
The incident occurred on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at approximately 5:53 p.m. on Herring Road, west of Highway 99. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to reports of a vehicle that had entered a canal.
According to the CHP, Machuca was the sole occupant of a 2008 Toyota Prius, traveling westbound on Herring Road. The area was experiencing heavy fog at the time of the crash. For reasons yet to be determined, Machuca’s vehicle veered off the roadway, crossing the eastbound lane and onto the dirt shoulder. The Toyota then continued in a southwesterly direction before overturning into a water-filled canal.
Machuca was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency personnel. A preliminary investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash is ongoing.
