21-year-old man killed in crash outside Merced

A Planada man was killed Sunday night when his car crashed into two utility poles on the outskirts of Merced, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The driver was identified Monday by the Merced County Coroner’s Office as Alonso Ramirez, a 21-year-old Planada man.

Officers were called at 9:44 p.m. to the area of Gerard Avenue, west of Orchard Drive, and found a 1997 Honda Civic had crashed into the two power poles, authorities said in a news release.

Investigators said Ramirez was alone in the car heading east on Gerard Avenue when his car left the road for unknown reasons. He was thrown from the sedan and died at the scene, officers said.

Officers said the cause of the crash remained under investigation Monday.

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 11:16 AM with the headline "21-year-old man killed in crash outside Merced."