KEYES -- A wrong-way driver caused a six-vehicle smashup on Highway 99 on Saturday night that sent seven people to the hospital and closed the northbound lanes for about two hours.
The California Highway Patrol said the driver was under the influence of alcohol as he drove south in the northbound lanes. His 2001 Chevrolet Silverado hit an oncoming 2003 Lexus and rolled multiple times, striking several vehicles.
CHP officer J.B. Peregoy said Ceres resident Fernando Martinez, 30, was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and felony driving the wrong way and causing injuries on a controlled roadway.
Six vehicles with 17 peo- ple were involved in the 10:48 p.m. accident about a half-mile north of where Taylor Road crosses under the highway, Peregoy said.
Two of the seven people transported to the hospital were taken as a precaution.
Peregoy said Martinez was taken by helicopter to the University of California Medical Center in Sacramento.
His injuries include burns. Emergency workers had to free him from his burning pickup. He did not have passengers, Peregoy said.
Martinez remains in the hospital. The other injured people were taken to Stanislaus County hospitals. Peregoy said the injured are expected to recover.
The northbound lanes were closed until about 1 a.m. The CHP detoured traffic around the wreck.
The injured included two Modesto drivers: Brian Mil-ler, 42, and Victoria Mendoza, 36. The other drivers were from the Bay Area and Washington state.
Peregoy said officers believe Martinez entered the northbound lanes by entering the highway at an exit. It's not clear how long the Chevrolet Silverado had been traveling south before striking the northbound Lexus.
Bee staff writer Kevin Valine can be reached at kvaline@modbee.com or 578-2316.
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