Denair man dies following crash in Merced County

A 24-year-old Denair man died Monday, about five days after he was involved in a two-car collision west of Stevinson, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The victim was identified Tuesday morning by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office as Michael Sousa.

died at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, CHP Officer Eric Zuniga said.

According to investigators, the Denair man was heading west around 6 p.m. Wednesday on Third Avenue in a 2005 Chevrolet Cruze when he was struck by a 1997 Honda Civic.

The Honda, driven by Steven Meza, 21, of Gustine, had approached a stop sign on McCullagh Road at the Third Avenue intersection. Meza told investigators he did not see the Chevrolet when he pulled into the roadway. The Chevrolet did not have a stop sign, according to the CHP.

Meza accelerated and the cars collided, hurling both cars into a metal fence and power pole, CHP said. The Chevrolet also struck a tree.

The Honda caught fire, but Meza managed to escape before being burned. He was taken to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto with minor, non-life-threatening injuries, officers said.

The Denair man was taken to the Modesto hospital where he later died.

Neither drugs nor alcohol were factors in the crash, officers have said.

This story was originally published June 27, 2017 at 8:11 AM with the headline "Denair man dies following crash in Merced County."