Driver injured after falling asleep at the wheel

A Red Bluff man suffered minor injuries when he apparently fell asleep at the wheel and his pickup crashed into a ditch along Norman Road in northern Colusa County on Friday morning.

Franklin Ross Jr., 59, was traveling east in a 2002 Ford F-150 at an estimated speed of 55 mph, the California Highway Patrol reported. The accident occurred at about 6:40 a.m.

Ross told the CHP he fell asleep and his truck left the roadway and ran into a ditch.

Ross, who was not wearing his safety belt, was transported by a private party to seek medical treatment, the CHP reported.

The truck sustained what was described as major front-end damage, the CHP reported.