ATV crash victim identified

A Merced man killed earlier this week after crashing an all-terrain vehicle into a truck was identified Wednesday as 37-year-old Capptan Hicks.

The Merced County Coroner’s Office confirmed the victim’s identity.

Hicks on Tuesday afternoon was riding a 2013 Honda all-terrain vehicle north on a canal bank parallel to Drake Avenue in the Beachwood area of Merced. He crashed into a 1995 GMC truck driven by Shane Gunn, 18, of Merced, who was traveling east on a dirt road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The truck is owned by the Franklin County Water District, the CHP said.

Hicks was ejected from the ATV and landed beside the truck. He was taken to Mercy Medical Center where he died a short time later. The driver of the truck was unhurt.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

This story was originally published January 7, 2015 at 7:09 PM with the headline "ATV crash victim identified."