Semi truck driver in I-5 fatal identified. Truck hit 26 apricot trees before stopping

The big rig driver who was pronounced dead after crashing through an apricot orchard Thursday has been identified as 53-year-old Jon Schultz.

The Cherry Valley (Riverside County) resident was southbound on I-5 when, for unknown reasons, his big rig drifted to the right, onto the shoulder and down and dirt embankment, according to the California Highway Patrol. The truck went through a barbed wire fence then continued in a southwesterly direction through 26 apricot trees before finally coming to a stop.

Schultz was pronounced dead at the scene. He had no visible injuries which suggests he might have suffered a medical emergency but his death is being treated as a traffic fatality until an autopsy proves otherwise.

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Semi truck driver in I-5 fatal identified. Truck hit 26 apricot trees before stopping."