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The California Highway Patrol has identified a man killed Monday afternoon in a Burson vehicle accident as Valley Springs resident Augustine Cortez. Cortez, 32, was driving a 1992 Ford Explorer north on Burson Road just south of Camanche Parkway South when it went off the road and struck a tree, CHP said.
Cortez was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash and was partially ejected out the driver’s side window, according to a CHP report on Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at the scene about 2 p.m. CHP said alcohol or drugs may have contributed to the cause of the crash, but the final determination is pending the completion of a toxicology report by the county coroner. Firefighters also responded to the incident as the crash started a small grass fire near the tree. Fire personnel from West Point, Valley Springs, Vallecito and Jenny Lind arrived and extinguished the blaze, which burned a small spot of grass vegetation, Cal Fire said. |