Driver killed in Highway 50 crash near Rancho Cordova. Speed was a factor, CHP says

A driver was killed early Monday morning on Highway 50 near Rancho Cordova when his car veered off an off-ramp, struck a tree and caught fire, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Around 3:30 a.m., the man heading westbound “at a high rate of speed” in a 2014 Subaru was unable to negotiate the curve of the ramp at Sunrise Boulevard, CHP East Sacramento spokesman Officer Trent Senter said.

The vehicle then left the roadway, struck a tree and became engulfed in flames, authorities said.

Senter said CHP officers located the vehicle after the collision and extinguished the fire. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

As of Monday morning, it was unclear if drugs or alcohol were factors in the collision, Senter said.