Woodlake man dies after truck rolls down steep embankment in Merced County, CHP says

A 63-year-old Woodlake man died in a single-vehicle crash in Merced County Thursday, according to California Highway Patrol.

A 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck was traveling shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday south on La Grange Road north of Merced Falls Road, east of Snelling, when the truck started drifting into the opposing traffic lane while the driver, 48-year-old Tulare resident Eduardo Ruiz-Rosales, was negotiating a right-hand curve in the road at the recommended speed of 40 mph, CHP Merced Officer Eric Zuniga said.

Ruiz-Rosales told officers he sharply turned right to avoid oncoming traffic and lost control of the truck, Zuniga said. The truck drove off the west edge of the road, overturned several times down a steep embankment and collided with several large trees.

Ruiz-Rosales suffered a minor laceration to the top of his head, Zuniga said. However, a passenger in the truck, 63-year-old Woodlake man, suffered fatal injuries. The identity of the Woodlake man was not released Thursday.

Both occupants wore seat belts and neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected as causes of the collision.

The crash remained under investigation Thursday night.

This story was originally published August 2, 2018 at 6:18 PM.