Crash kills Mendocino man

An elderly Mendocino man died Sunday afternoon after crashing his Prius on Highway 1, the CHP said Monday.

Russel S. Norvell, 77, was driving south on the coast highway just south of the town of Mendocino when he lost control of his car. The 2001 Toyota Prius ran off of the road into a dirt drainage ditch and spun around, hitting a eucalyptus tree.

Norvell was cut from the wreckage and was being taken to Mendocino Coast Hospital when he died enroute.

Norvell wasn’t wearing a seat belt. What caused him to lose control remains under investigation, the CHP said.

— Randi Rossmann