Ceres driver suffers major injuries when he crashes off edge of Highway 99 in Turlock
A Ceres man suffered major injuries Saturday when his car crashed over the side of Highway 99 near West Main Street, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred about 2 a.m., CHP Modesto spokesman Officer Thomas Olsen said. Leonel Dias, 24, was driving a 2001 GMC SUV when for unknown reasons he allowed the vehicle to leave the east edge of the road.
The SUV struck the metal bridge rail, continued down an embankment and onto West Main, where it came to rest just north of the street.
Dias was taken by American Medical Response ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. He suffered a fractured femur and broken left eye socket, Olsen said.
He was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash, the officer said, and drugs and alcohol were not contributing factors.
The crash damaged about 50 feet of the rail, Olsen said.
In a Facebook post, the Turlock Fire Department said crews used specialized stabilization struts and heavy extrication equipment to free Dias from the wreckage.
