A 71-year-old man died Wednesday morning after his John Deere Gator utility vehicle was struck from behind by a pickup truck on Marshall Road east of Alfalfa Road in rural Stanislaus County, southwest of Patterson. The California Highway Patrol says the crash happened around 7:10 a.m. when a 1999 Ford pickup towing a livestock trailer, driven by 48-year-old Michael Barcellos of Patterson, rear-ended the Gator while traveling 45 to 50 miles per hour. The impact ejected the Gator’s driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Barcellos remained at the scene and was not injured.
According to FOX40 Sacramento, CHP investigators say alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been contributing factors in the crash, though the investigation remains active. Scene cleanup and investigation reportedly took about two and a half hours, causing traffic delays on Marshall Road as officers worked the scene. The identity of the man killed has not been released pending notification of family. No citations or charges have been announced against Barcellos as CHP continues to determine how the crash occurred.