A Monday morning solo crash east of Riverbank ended the life of a 51-year-old Ceres man, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The crash on Highway 108 between Riverbank and Oakdale was reported at 2:13 a.m. The CHP’s preliminary investigation indicates that James Hunter was eastbound in his 2006 Lexus sedan approaching Adams Gravel Plant Road when for some unknown reasons he allowed the car to veer off the southern edge of the road. The vehicle continued in a southeasterly direction where it struck a metal dumpster and several trees before coming to rest. Hunter, who was not wearing his seat belt and was ejected, was found deceased a short distance from his vehicle. 

The CHP has yet to be determined whether drugs and/or alcohol were a contributing factor in the collision.

The CHP reminds all motorists and passengers that seat belts often increase the likelihood of a crash being survivable, when worn properly.