Passenger killed in La Grange rollover crash identified. Driver still in hospital
The man killed in a single-vehicle rollover crash on Feb. 2 near La Grange was a 60-year-old Merced County resident.
Francisco Rodriguez was killed when a car he was in, a 2017 Toyota sedan driven by a 58-year-old Merced man, rolled over just before midnight on La Grange Dam Road, according to California Highway Patrol’s Merced office.
The vehicle was driving northbound on La Grange, just north of Field Road, when it drifted to the right, went off the shoulder and rolled multiple times before coming to rest. The CHP said the sedan’s speed has not been determined yet.
Both the driver and Rodriguez were not wearing their seat belts and were ejected from the vehicle.
Officers were alerted to the crash when an iPhone in the vehicle notified a 911 dispatcher that its owner was in a crash. However, responding crews could not locate the car. About 10 minutes later, someone called 911 and first responders were able to locate the Toyota and its occupants.
The driver was taken to Modesto’s Memorial Medical Center with major injuries. The latest update on his condition is that he remains intubated, according to the CHP. Rodriguez died at the scene.
CHP officers were still investigating the crash as of Tuesday afternoon. It is unknown if alcohol or drugs played a part in the crash — officers are waiting on a toxicology report.
