Driver Dies in Fiery Single-Car Crash on Leon Road

Map courtesy Google Maps

One person died Sunday night when a vehicle traveling at high speeds missed a sharp turn on Leon Road in Winchester, landed in an oat field and caught fire, authorities said today.

The driver, whose identity has not been released, was driving a 2010 Dodge south on Leon Road about 5:50 p.m. and failed to make the sharp right turn as the road heads in a westerly direction just south of Ano Crest Road. According to a California Highway Patrol news release, the vehicle left the roadway, struck two large rocks and launched nearly 200 feet into the air, landing in an open field and overturning at least once.

The vehicle caught fire and the driver was unable to escape, officials said. It has not been determined whether the driver died from the crash or the fire.

The fire also burned a 50-square-foot patch of vegetation in the field.