A driver and his passenger – both from Oakdale – were killed when the car they were in went off the roadway and crashed into a tree early morning Thursday, Nov. 25.

According to the California High Patrol, the incident occurred shortly after 2 a.m., when the CHP Communication Center in Merced received a call of a vehicle into an apartment complex on Greger Street, west of Kaufman Road.

Personnel responding to the scene found a white Ford Fusion against a building; two occupants were found in the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

Names were not available as of Thursday morning, pending notification of next of kin.

Preliminary investigation by the CHP indicated the driver of the Ford, identified only as a 29-year-old man from Oakdale, was westbound on Greger west of Kaufman at a high rate of speed. Because of the speed, the driver failed to negotiate a turn in the roadway and collided with a raised curb.

The 2016 Ford then continued in a northwesterly direction, colliding with a tree and the building. The force of the crash caused blunt force trauma to both the driver and the passenger, listed only as a 27-year-old from Oakdale, resulting in fatal injuries.

Authorities said neither victim was using their seatbelt at the time of the crash. It was unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor.

Look for updated information in the Dec. 1 issue of The Leader.