Fatal crash being investigated in rural Merced County, after pilot sees overturned vehicle

California Highway Patrol officers are investigating a fatal collision that was located Wednesday morning near the intersection of Snelling Road and Highway 59, according to the CHP Traffic Incident Information website.

According to CHP, a person flying an aircraft overhead observed the overturned vehicle at about 10:21 a.m.

Merced-area CHP Officer Eric Zuniga said officers responded to the scene and located a Toyota Camry on its roof with a man inside. That person was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Toyota appears to have been traveling north on Snelling Road when for unknown reasons, the driver continued through the intersection with Highway 59 and traveled about 200-300 feet down a rock embankment before the vehicle came to rest.

Based on the decomposition of the body, the vehicle may have been down the embankment for a week or more, Zuniga said.

The Merced County Sheriff Coroner’s Office as and the Merced Police Department are responding to the scene to assist with the investigation.

The collision remains under investigation.

This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 11:40 AM.