Driver killed when car crashes down embankment off I-87, Raleigh police say

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Speeding may have been a factor in a single-car crash that left a man dead Tuesday, Raleigh Police said.

A blue 2009 Toyota Yaris was discovered shortly before 10:30 a.m. near the intersection of I-87 N and the off-ramp for New Hope Road. The vehicle was down an embankment to the right of the roadway.

The driver, Jorge Ortega Jr., 27, was found dead inside the car. There were no passengers in the vehicle.

Investigators said it appears that Ortega was traveling at a high rate of speed and lost control of his car.

The Toyota went toward the off-ramp of I87 N and New Hope Road when it left the roadway, colliding with a tree and then going down an embankment.

Ortega died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash, police said.

No other vehicles appeared to be involved but the crash remains under investigation.