Man dies after crashing into semi truck in Thermal

A 67-year-old man from Bakersfield died Tuesday morning after running a stop sign and crashing into a Peterbilt tractor that was hauling two trailers in Thermal, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officer Mike Radford said the crash happened around 10:10 a.m. at the intersection of Grapefruit Boulevard and 62nd Avenue. He said the man was driving a Dodge Caravan southbound on Grapefruit Boulevard when he ran the stop sign at 62nd Avenue.

Rafael Beltran of El Centro was driving the Peterbilt and he began to enter the intersection when the man driving the Dodge crashed into the left front end of his truck.

The driver of the Dodge, whose name hasn’t been released yet, was airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Center by a CHP helicopter but later died from his injuries.

Officer Radford said alcohol and/or drugs don’t appear to be factors in the crash. CHP officers remained on scene to handle traffic control until about 11:30 a.m.