Man killed when car hits tree in Columbia

COLUMBIA -- A 68-year-old Columbia man died Wednesday afternoon after his car left the road and hit a tree, the California Highway Patrol reported.

According to the CHP, the man, whose name has not been released, was driving a 1997 Chrysler LHS west on State Street in Columbia at 1:30 p.m.

The car was speeding when it left the road, sideswiped a tree, hit several mailboxes, then hit another pine tree.

A witness and passersby tried to help the driver, who was taken to Sonora Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. There was nobody else in the car.

The CHP said the cause of the accident remains under investigation.