Victim identified in fatal crash in Merced County

A man who died this week when his vehicle went off Highway 99 in Merced County has been identified as 61-year-old Fred Ewert of West Hills.

The victim’s identity was confirmed Thursday by the Merced County Coroner’s Office.

Ewert was traveling alone around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in a tan 2010 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. He was headed south when his vehicle drifted onto the shoulder and struck a guardrail, California Highway Patrol officers said in a news release.

The vehicle then went through the guardrail and struck a rock culvert before hitting a chain-link fence. The vehicle came to a stop on its wheels, officers said.

The cause of the single-vehicle collision remained under investigation Thursday.

The driver suffered fatal injuries as a result of the crash, officers said.

“It is unknown at this time if DUI was a factor in this collision,” they said in the statement.

This story was originally published June 4, 2015 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Victim identified in fatal crash in Merced County."