Driver Dies When Car Plunges Off Highway 4 Into Tree

MARTINEZ, CA — A Walnut Creek resident died Friday morning when his car veered off westbound Highway 4 and into a tree near the Alhambra Road off-ramp in Martinez, according to California Highway Patrol officials for the Contra Costa area. The fatal solo-vehicle collision happened at about 8:28 a.m.; at the time, it was raining and the roadway was wet, CHP officials said.

The driver of a black 1994 Honda Civic was approaching the off-ramp at a yet-to-be-determined speed when he veered to the right, off the roadway and down an embankment, according to CHP's statement. The left driver side of the Honda crashed "directly into a large tree and came to rest with the tree fully crushing into the driver seat and male."

When emergency personnel arrived, "the driver (unknown age male from Walnut Creek) was trapped within the Honda sedan and unresponsive," according to the statement.

A coroner was summoned at 8:44 a.m. and pronounced the driver deceased at the scene.

CHP had to partially shut down the number-one lane of the off-ramp in order to have the car removed from the crash site.

As the investigation into the crash continues, CHP seeking is witnesses.

At least one person reported seeing the Honda hit the tree at a high rate of speed, according to CHP dispatch logs.

Dispatchers checked with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and the Martinez Police Department but reported that neither had record of any calls or witness information.

CHP was not immediately able to determine whether alcohol and/or drugs were factors in the collision.

Anyone who witnessed it or the events leading up to it is asked to contact the Contra Costa CHP station in Martinez by calling 925-646-4980.

Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone