NORTH FORK – A 62-year-old North Fork man died Tuesday in a single-vehicle traffic accident on Road 221 south of Road 226.
According to CHP, the victim, identified as Robert Bates, was driving a 1991 Toyota sedan southbound on Road 221 at approximately 50 mph when he made “an unsafe right turn.”
The Toyota veered off the left edge of the road, collided with a sign and then traveled down an embankment and struck a tree.
“As a result of the collision, the subject sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the CHP report stated.
The accident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. No other vehicles were involved.
According to the CHP report, the driver was not wearing a seat belt and alcohol containers “were located at the scene.”
A witness later told investigators “the vehicle was all over the road” and the CHP report states “alcohol is suspected as a factor in the collision.”
