Man killed in accident near Waterford

A driver suffered major injuries and his passenger was killed when their car crashed into a telephone pole on Highway 132 west of Waterford on Wednesday.

California Highway Patrol Officer Chuck Leon said the Nissan 240Z was traveling west at an estimated 100 mph when it moved into eastbound lanes to pass two cars around 1:30 p.m.

As the car reached a crest just before McEwen Road, it nearly hit an eastbound car but drove off the south shoulder.

Leon said the car fishtailed and swerved back into westbound lanes, then again moved into the south shoulder, where it hit the telephone pole, splitting the pole.

The car turned over several times, and both the driver and passenger were ejected.

There were no seat belts in the car, the CHP said. Leon said the stripped condition of the vehicle indicates it might have been in the process of being modified.

“The seats belts were out of it, the back seat is out of it, some internal components are out of it; so either they just bought it at a junkyard or they are prepping it to turn it into a race car,” he said.

A nurse passing by stopped to render aid, but the passenger was declared dead at the scene. He had not been identified as of Wednesday afternoon.

The driver, identified as Stephen Meese, 24, of Modesto, suffered leg and internal injuries and was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

The highway at the scene was closed in both directions for about an hour. Investigators sorted through the contents of the car, scattered along the dirt shoulder. They found a bag of marijuana and a bag of what appeared to be prescription drugs, Leon said.

It’s not known if Meese was under the influence at the time of the crash, Leon said.

Leon said Meese could face charges, but that it was too early in the investigation to speculate what they might be.

This story was originally published June 3, 2015 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Man killed in accident near Waterford."