Driver thrown 40 feet clear of car in fatal rollover crash south of Merced, CHP says

A single-car rollover crash on Highway 59 south of Merced early Monday morning left the driver dead, the California Highway Patrol reported.

CHP said the crash happened just before 6 a.m. The driver of the 2007 Scion sedan was southbound on 59 north of McNamara Road at a high rate of speed when he veered across the northbound lane onto the shoulder, causing the car to roll multiple times. The driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected and found some 40 feet from the car, which ended up on its roof in a field.

The driver’s identity was not immediately known. CHP said it is unknown if drugs or alcohol are a factor in the crash and the investigation is ongoing.