A single car accident along Milton Road, north of Highway 4, on Sunday afternoon claimed the life of a Jackson man.

Authorities said David Ellis, 52, of Jackson, was the driver of a 2006 Toyota that was northbound on Milton Road, north of Highway 4, at about 3:45 p.m. Sunday, March 26.

According to the California Highway Patrol report, the car drifted off the road for an unknown reason, going through a barbed wire fence. The Toyota then traveled down a small embankment and into a drainage ditch where the front end struck a concrete/earth wall.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene by fire department personnel that responded to the call. A passenger, identified as Tina Ellis, 55, of Jackson was taken by air ambulance to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto with major injuries.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Authorities said both the driver and passenger were using their seatbelts at the time of the crash.