West Side wreck kills 3 near Patterson

SUV, car hit head-on along Highway 33; fourth person injured

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PATTERSON -- Two vehicles collided head-on on Highway 33, killing three people and seriously injuring a fourth, the California Highway Patrol reported Tuesday.

The crash occurred about 10:50 p.m. Monday just south of Rogers Road and north of Patterson.

A 26-year-old Patterson man was driving a 1999 Chevrolet Blazer south when the sport utility vehicle drifted over the double yellow lines into the northbound lane, according to the CHP.

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The Blazer hit a 2003 Mazda 6 traveling about 55 mph and driven by a 27-year-old Westley woman.

The Blazer overturned and the Mazda became engulfed in flames, said officer Tom Killian, a CHP spokesman.

Both drivers and a 3-year-old Westley boy, who was a passenger in the Mazda, were pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP reported.

Coroner's officials did not release the names of the victims because their families had not been notified.

Maximo Virgen, 43, of Patterson was a passenger in the Blazer. Virgen suffered major injuries and was flown to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, Killian said.

Virgen was listed in fair condition in the critical care unit at the hospital Tuesday night, according to the nursing supervisor.

CHP investigators said they had not established whether alcohol was a factor in the collision.

Authorities closed Highway 33 from 11 p.m. Monday to 2:30 a.m. Tuesday so investigators could finish collecting evidence and clearing the crash site.