Colfax man, 19, dies in fiery crash after car veers off Interstate 80 in Placer County

A 19-year-old Colfax man died Thursday night after his car careered off of Interstate 80 in Placer County, struck several trees and overturned in a fiery crash.

The single-vehicle crash was reported about 9:20 p.m. along the westbound lanes of I-80 at West Paoli Lane near the town of Weimar, the California Highway Patrol reported. The Colfax man was driving west in a silver 2013 Hyundai Elantra at an unknown speed.

For an unknown reason, the Hyundai veered to the right off the freeway, struck several trees, overturned and landed on its roof, according to a news release from the CHP Auburn office. The car then caught fire.

The CHP said a passerby saw the flames and put out the fire with a fire extinguisher they had in their vehicle.

Authorities found the Hyundai in a ditch north of the I-80 westbound lanes. The CHP said emergency personnel arrived and found the man in the driver’s seat. They performed life-saving measures, but the driver died at the scene.

Alcohol or drugs did not appear to be a factor in the fatal crash, the CHP said, but that will be determined later through a toxicology report from the Placer County Coroner’s Office. The crash remained under investigation.