SALVISA — The Mercer County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the cause of a single-vehicle crash that killed a Salvisa man early Saturday morning.

Mercer County Coroner Sonny Ransdell confirmed Gary W. Daniels, 55, was killed when the vehicle he was driving collided with a tree on Kirkwood Road.

“It’s obvious from the evidence, that he dropped off the left side of the road and overcorrected,” said Capt. Scott Elder with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, who is leading the investigation.

That sent him like a “slingshot” across both lanes of Kirkwood Road and down an embankment, where the vehicle collided with trees, before catching fire. The fire was caused by the collision, Elder said.

Ransdell said the cause of death is being listed as “multiple injuries from a single vehicle collision,” and said he believes the fire likely had no impact.

Deputies are not releasing the name of a second person who was in the car.

Sheriff Ernie Kelty described the area of road, just outside Salvisa, as rural, but said a few houses were nearby. No witnesses to the crash have come forward at this time.

Elder said they do not yet know the cause of the crash; weather and roadway conditions have been ruled out, but the potential for drugs or alcohol is still being investigated, as well as what else could have caused Daniels to leave the road.