SHAFTER, Calif. -- The Kern County Coroner's Office has identified the two people killed in Saturday night's deadly car accident that ended in a canal near Shafter.

The accident happened shortly after 6 p.m., when, according to the California Highway Patrol, a PT Cruiser going south on Zerker Road ran the stop sign at Lerdo Highway broadsiding an Isuzu Rodeo SUV, sending it into the nearby canal.

Three people were in the SUV, the driver, Brian Jones, 35, was able to get out and swim to safety, but his passengers were not able to and died at the scene as the car submerged into the canal.

They have been identified as Brentina French, 43, and Robert Junyor, 36, both of Bakersfield.

Numerous witnesses and passers-by tried to help by jumping into the canal.

"There was about four people on top of the car trying to get the door open," said Brooke Rubenking who pulled over to help. "And there was two people trapped in there and they tried to grab their legs, and they had their seat belts on so they were stuck."

Two people were seriously injured in the PT Cruiser, one had to be taken by helicopter to Kern Medical Center.

A third person in that vehicle suffered minor injuries.

The sheriff's dive squad was on-scene to assist in removing the vehicle from the canal.