Salida man dies from injuries in Toomes Road crash

A 26-year-old Salida man has died from major head injuries he suffered in a crash on Toomes Road, the California Highway Patrol reported Thursday afternoon.

Cody Motto was southbound on Toomes south of Bacon Road about 10:45 Thursday morning when his vehicle, believed to be a red Chevrolet Tahoe or Suburban, drifted off the right shoulder, slammed into a parked pickup truck and overturned, said Officer Chuck Leon, a CHP spokesman.

The unoccupied pickup belonged to an off-duty firefighter who was doing yard work nearby and assisted Motto. He reported the crash and Salida firefighters arrived to administer aid, Leon said. Within 10 minutes of the crash, a post on the CHP’s incident information page said it was a fatality. Five minutes later, an update said it was not a fatality.

Sometime in the afternoon, Motto succumbed to his injuries. Motto was alone in his vehicle when he crashed. He was not wearing a seat belt, Leon said, but was not ejected.

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Salida man dies from injuries in Toomes Road crash."