Merced County man identified after fatal solo-vehicle crash, coroner says

The 40-year-old Los Banos man who died after his SUV left the roadway near the San Luis Reservoir has been identified, the Merced County Coroner's Office said Wednesday.

The man died Monday when his SUV veered off Highway 152 west of Los Banos and down a steep embankment between Dinosaur Point and Rock Bridge, the California Highway Patrol reported. He was identified as Apolinar Zemudio, according to the coroner's office.

He was the solo occupant of the black SUV around 11 a.m. when it left the roadway, overturned and landed about 100 feet down the embankment and 200 feet from the roadway, according to CHP.

Zemudio suffered major head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene. CHP said investigators learned the driver had been traveling about 45 mph and weaving across both eastbound lanes before the crash, entering the median several times.

This story was originally published May 30, 2018 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Merced County man identified after fatal solo-vehicle crash, coroner says."