Driver suffers major injuries in rollover collision west of Merced, CHP says

A Merced man was transported to the hospital Sunday following a solo-vehicle rollover collision outside the city of Merced, according to authorities.

At about 4:30 p.m. officers responded to a rollover collision in the area of Franklin Road, north of Highway 140, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Zuniga.

Zuniga said the driver, Tony Lee, 23, was traveling south on Franklin Road at about 55 mph in a 2000 Toyota Camry. According to the CHP, it appears that due to fatigue, Lee allowed the vehicle to drift onto the right shoulder of the road and collide with a fence before striking an almond tree.

The collision caused the vehicle to overturn and catch fire. Zuniga said Lee was able to extract himself from the vehicle and was flown to a Modesto-area hospital for treatment of major injuries.

Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the collision which remains under investigation, according to Zuniga.