A man was killed early Monday after the car he was driving veered off a rural Kings County road and overturned several times, ejecting him before first responders arrived. California Highway Patrol units were called to the crash just after 1:22 a.m. on 14 1/2 Avenue, south of Laurel Avenue, in an unincorporated stretch of the county.
According to KMPH Fox 26, a Kings County Sheriff’s Department deputy was already on scene when CHP arrived and reported that a man had been driving a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt southbound on 14 1/2 Avenue just before the crash. For reasons that remain unclear, the car veered to the right and went off the roadway onto the west dirt shoulder.
Driver Ejected As Car Rolled Several Times
Once the Cobalt left the pavement, the driver lost control entirely, and the vehicle overturned several times before coming to rest, the outlet reported. The man was thrown from the car during the rollover and suffered fatal injuries at the scene.
Investigators have not said what caused the driver to lose control in the first place. Per the station's report, it remains unknown whether alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash, and the overall cause is still under investigation.
One of Several Recent Fatal Crashes in the County
Monday's crash adds to a string of deadly wrecks that have struck Kings County's rural roadways in recent memory. A crash on Highway 41 near York Avenue left five people dead after a southbound Chevy Silverado crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a Toyota Prius, according to ABC30.
In another case near Stratford, a 2020 Honda Pilot overturned while passing other vehicles, killing one person and leaving two others with moderate injuries, as reported by YourCentralValley. And near Armona, a 17-year-old girl driving a Hyundai Elantra ran a stop sign and was struck by a northbound Chevy Suburban, killing one passenger and hospitalizing another with major injuries, ABC30 reported separately.
No further details about the driver killed Monday, including his identity, have been released. CHP has not indicated when the investigation into the crash on 14 1/2 Avenue is expected to conclude.
