Driver dead after crashing into orchard trees in Tulare County

TULARE, Calif. (KFSN) -- A stretch of State Route 201 in Tulare County was shut down for a few hours Saturday afternoon, as the California Highway Patrol investigated a fatal rollover crash.

At around 1:30 p.m., the driver was headed east on the busy road, and for unknown reasons, drifted to the north shoulder.

He crashed into some trees, and the car then flipped on its side.

"To my knowledge, when the first responders arrived, they were unable to revive the party," said CHP Sgt. Corben Whitney.

The CHP is investigating the cause of the crash.

They say they will check to see if any other vehicles were involved, including any farm equipment, as the area is surrounded by orchards.

"We're just making absolutely certain that there was no other vehicle involved here," Whitney said. "Apparently there was another vehicle pulled over on the side of the road, so we just want to find out what they know," said CHP Sgt. Corben Whitney.

Officers say they are in contact with that person and will be following up with them.

Anyone else who may have seen the crash is encouraged to call the police.

CHP is reminding people not to drive distracted and to always be careful driving in areas where there is a lot of farm equipment moving around.