Winton man identified in fatal crash on Highway 59

The driver killed in a fatal solo-vehicle crash into an orchard was identified on Friday by the Merced County Sheriff's Office.

David Groves, 61, of Winton was the driver, according to the sheriff's office. He was in a 1998 GMC Sierra westbound on Youd Road just west of Highway 59 around 11:35 a.m. on Thursday, California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Zuniga said.

For an unknown reason he drifted to the right, then overcorrected to the left across both lanes, causing the car to roll three times into an almond orchard. The car hit a tree, Zuniga said, and the man was ejected and landed about 40 feet away from the vehicle.

Investigators believe he was not wearing a seat belt, CHP said.

This story was originally published December 1, 2017 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Winton man identified in fatal crash on Highway 59."