MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A local woman died Monday evening when her vehicle went off the highway and down into a ravine near Middletown.
The California Highway Patrol said the crash victim was a 51-year-old Clearlake woman who name was not being released pending notification of family.
The solo vehicle crash occurred just before 5:30 p.m., according to the CHP.
The woman, driving a 2003 Acura, was headed southbound on Highway 29, just north of Spruce Grove Road South, at a high rate of speed, the CHP said.
The CHP report said the driver was passing another southbound vehicle. As she reentered the southbound lane, she continued across the lane and onto the dirt and gravel shoulder.
When she hit the shoulder, she lost control of the vehicle, went through the guardrail and down an embankment and into a 100-foot-deep ravine, according to the CHP.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP report.
Officials didn't know Monday evening if drugs or alcohol were factors in the fatal crash.
The CHP said Officer Mark Crutcher is leading the investigation, which is ongoing.
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