Update: Driver Dies After Car Crashes Into Creek Near Novato

MARIN COUNTY, CA – The California Highway Patrol is investigating speed and almost bald tires as the cause of a vehicle crash where a person was found dead near Novato Monday morning.

A Nissan Altima was traveling west in the area of 5022 Novato Blvd. toward Point Reyes when the driver failed to negotiate a slight left curve in the road, CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said. The Nissan slid into and "took out" a guardrail, went 15 feet down a sheer drop and landed on its roof in a creek, Barclay said.

Investigators do not know when the crash happened, but CHP officers responded to it around 8:40 a.m. today. Only the trunk of the vehicle was protruding from the water, Barclay said.

Three of the Nissan's four tires were almost bald, Barclay said. The CHP is looking at vehicle incident logbooks and checking with local law enforcement agencies for missing person reports.

The driver appeared to be the only person inside the vehicle, according to a CHP dispatcher. Marin County Fire officials said the victim of the solo vehicle crash was in his 20s.

– By Bay City News / Kristina Houck, Patch staff, contributed to this report.

– Photo courtesy of Marin County Fire