1 dead in Hwy. 99 collision in Merced County

A 61-year-old West Hills man died Tuesday in a collision on Highway 99, south of Le Grand Road, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The victim’s identity was not immediately available Wednesday from the Merced County Coroner’s Office. Names are not released until a victim’s family has been notified of a fatality, authorities have said.

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

Investigators said the man was traveling alone in a tan 2010 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck about 3:30 p.m.

The driver was heading south when, for undetermined reasons, his vehicle drifted onto the shoulder and struck a guardrail, CHP 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, the CHP said.

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.

No other vehicles were involved.

This story was originally published June 3, 2015 at 3:30 PM with the headline "1 dead in Hwy. 99 collision in Merced County."