UC Merced student hospitalized after early-morning crash on Lake Road

A 19-year-old UC Merced student from Rocklin suffered major injuries when his 1999 Nissan Maxima suddenly veered off Lake Road at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, the California Highway Patrol reported.

According to a CHP report, Jason Gingrich was driving northbound on Lake Road north of Boardwalk Drive at about 55 mph when his car veered off the northbound shoulder and struck a eucalyptus tree. He was transported by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, according to the report. The accident remains under investigation.