JUNE 17, 2009 – A 19-year-old man died when the vehicle he was riding in rolled over and he was ejected, authorities said. Jose L. Vera Mendoza of Arbuckle was a passenger in a 1989 Chevy van that was traveling on Breuner Avenue just west of Wildwood Road about 2:40 a.m. The driver lost control and hit an embankment, according to the California Highway Patrol, causing it to overturn. Authorities said the driver, 19-year-old Leonardo Velasques, was traveling an estimated 50 to 60 mph when he made an unsafe turning movement, leading to the accident. Mendoza was not wearing a seat belt and was fully ejected from the vehicle, landing on a dirt shoulder on the side of the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Velasques, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered a fractured left wrist. After being treated at Colusa Regional Medical Center and given a blood analysis test, Velasques was booked into Colusa County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the CHP. The results of the toxicology report will be available in about four weeks. Mendoza’s death was the fourth on Colusa County roadways since Memorial Day. Of those, three victims were not wearing seat belts.

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