MERCED COUNTY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – A 79-year-old man is dead after the car he was in hit a tree near Atwater Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP says officers responded around 12:32 p.m., to the area of Elliot Avenue and Gurr Road. Investigators say a man from Atwater was driving a 2006 Chevy eastbound on Elliot Ave., west of Gurr Rd., at an unknown speed.
For unknown reasons, investigators say the driver allowed the Chevy to travel off the south road edge of Elliot Ave. and collided with a tree head-on.
The driver was transported to a local hospital where he later died.
Investigators say the driver was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the traffic crash. It is unknown if alcohol and/or drugs are a factor in this traffic crash.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.