(FOX40.COM) — A man died after a big rig overturned Thursday afternoon in Stanislaus County near Patterson, the California Highway Patrol said.
CHP was dispatched around 2:15 p.m. to southbound Interstate 5, south of the Westley Rest Area. Upon arrival, officers found a red 2011 Freightliner tractor-trailer combination overturned on its left side within the center median. The driver, a 70-year-old man from Monterey Park, was found trapped inside, CHP said.
For unknown reasons, the vehicle traveled off road to the left, hitting the center median guardrail and then overturning onto its left side. The driver was extricated and then flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital for treatment. He was later taken to UC Davis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, CHP said.
Alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been factors in this crash, and the driver was wearing a seatbelt. The roadway was blocked for several hours while the vehicle was recovered, and has since been reopened, CHP said…