MENDOCINO Co., — A participant in a classic car tour died after his car went off the road at around 2:30pm on Tuesday, April 25. A passenger sustained major injuries and was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
A press release from California Highway Patrol states that the driver, whose name is being withheld, and his passenger, Ai Origake, both of Honolulu, Hawaii, were traveling as part of the California Mille. The Mille is an annual vintage car event that involves driving pre-1958 vehicles for 1,000 miles over four days on the state’s back roads. The vehicle involved in the incident, a 1939 Jaguar, was traveling in an eastbound direction just west of mile marker 9.37, when it went off the road and hit a tree. The driver was partially ejected and died as a result of his injuries. Drugs and alcohol are not considered to be a factor.