Merced County man dies after head-on collision with big rig

A 54-year-old Delhi man died Tuesday afternoon following a head-on collision with a big rig, according to California Highway Patrol.

The man was driving about 1:40 p.m. in a 1998 Dodge Ram westbound on Bradbury Road northwest of Delhi near Youngstown Road, Officer Eric Zuniga said.

At the same time, Joao Azevedo, 32, of Merced was driving a 2012 Peterbilt and trailer on Bradbury Road in the opposite direction, CHP said. For an unknown reason, the Delhi man allowed his truck to drift into the oncoming lane but was unable to correct the truck before colliding head-on with the big rig.

Azevedo applied the brakes but was not able to stop, CHP said.

The Delhi man was pinned inside the truck until first responders were able to remove him, CHP said. He was flown to a Modesto-area hospital, and pronounced dead at about 3:38 p.m.

The crash remains under investigation, CHP said.

This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Merced County man dies after head-on collision with big rig."