Cambria man dies after Monday morning collision on Highway 1 south of Hearst Castle

TEMPLETON, Calif. – A 71-year-old Cambria resident, Mark Seidel, died following a Monday morning single-vehicle traffic collision on Highway 1 south of Hearst Castle.

According to Templeton Area California Highway Patrol (CHP), Seidel was driving his 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe northbound on Highway 1.

For still unknown reasons, the Tahoe turned sharply left and left the roadway before directly colliding with an unoccupied Caterpillar asphalt compactor with an attached drum roller detail CHP.

CHP investigation revealed that after the impact, the Tahoe rebounded and rotated in a counterclockwise direction, headed through a barbed wire cattle fence, and came to rest facing in a westerly direction.

According to CHP, Seidel was not wearing her belt and the force of the impact resulted in fatal injuries.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation detail CHP.