MARIPOSA – A Mariposa man is dead after a single-vehicle accident on Highway 140 last Friday.
At 5:44 p.m. on Sept. 28, Jonah Thomas, 22, was driving a 2003 Ford F-150 eastbound on SR-140 approaching the east end of Trower Road.
According to CHP, Thomas was coming out of a long straightaway at an unknown speed when he entered a moderate curve to the left. He failed to negotiate the curve and the Ford drifted onto the right shoulder where it hit a deep depression on the shoulder and collided with adjacent oak trees.
Thomas, who was unrestrained, was fully ejected from the vehicle and sustained fatal injuries. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Dallas Wheat, 25, also of Mariposa, was restrained in the right front seat, according to CHP. He was airlifted to Memorial Hospital in Modesto with moderate injuries.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
It is unknown at this time whether drugs and/or alcohol were a factor in this collision.
Any witnesses to the collision are asked to call the Mariposa CHP office at (209) 966-3656.