Man killed in Highway 99 rollover crash south…
Man killed in Highway 99 rollover crash south of Chico
By Monterey County Herald | migration@dfmdev.com |
PUBLISHED: November 10, 2011 at 12:00 am | UPDATED: September 14, 2018 at 12:00 am
DURHAM — A 19-year old man riding in the front passenger seat of a 1998 Ford Contour was killed about 12:45 p.m. today when the vehicle veered off the pavement on Highway 99 south of Neal Road and overturned multiple times.
The driver, also 19, reportedly sustained minor injuries consisting of cuts and scratches, and was taken by ambulance as a precaution to Enloe Medical Center in Chico.
Both men are from Chico and were wearing seat belts, the California Highway Patrol said.
Neither of them was identified Thursday because relatives of the deceased couldn"t be reached by deadline. Because the men rode together on a regular basis, revealing the name of the driver would have indicated who his passenger was. Officials hope to release their names today.
According to witnesses who spoke with the CHP, the driver of the Contour was southbound and veered into the dirt and gravel median.
He apparently overcorrected in an attempt to get back on the pavement and the vehicle rolled over several times.
A passing motorist pulled the driver from the car, which came to rest on its roof.
The passenger was pronounced dead on arrival of medical personnel. Crews from Cal Fire-Butte County and the Chico Fire Department had to stabilize the vehicle to keep it from rocking so they could extricate the victim"s body through the passenger side door.
The CHP said the vehicle was traveling at between 65 and 70 mph, and it was unknown Thursday afternoon why it went off the road. There was no indication at the scene that drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.
The CHP said it"s likely the two men were on their way to Butte College. College textbooks thrown from the car were found on the shoulder of the road.
Southbound traffic through the area was slowed until about 2:30 p.m., as the CHP shut down one lane to conduct an investigation.
Monterey County Herald