A man died Wednesday afternoon after his car left Highway 152 near the San Luis Reservoir and tumbled 175 feet down a hillside before landing on its roof. The California Highway Patrol says the crash involved only one vehicle, and the driver has not yet been identified.
According to ABC30, CHP responded to a call around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday about a solo-vehicle crash on Highway 152 near the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County. Officers determined that a 2026 Toyota Prius had been traveling east on the highway when it drove off the road, crossed a turnout and traveled 175 feet down a hillside before flipping onto its roof.
The man was found inside the vehicle but was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet reports. Officers said he was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, and that an unsafe turn may have caused the Prius to go off the road. His identity has not been released.
A Stretch of Highway With a History of Rollovers
Wednesday's crash is not the first time a vehicle has gone off Highway 152 and down an embankment in Merced County. In 2018, a 40-year-old Los Banos man died when his SUV veered off Highway 152 west of Los Banos and down a steep embankment, according to the Merced Sun-Star. That SUV overturned and came to rest roughly 100 feet down the slope and 200 feet from the roadway, per CHP.
In a separate incident on State Route 152 west of Harmon Road, the Sun-Star reported that CHP officers responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash at about 3:54 p.m. In that crash, a right-rear passenger who authorities said was not wearing a seatbelt suffered fatal injuries.
CHP has not released further details on Wednesday's investigation, including the identity of the driver. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
