3 dead, 3 injured in Escalon crash

Three people died and three others, including two children, suffered serious injuries when a car hit a pole near Escalon on Sunday night.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the accident occurred at 7:45 p.m. on Dodds Road east of Escalon-Bellota Road. A 40-year-old man was driving a 1987 BMW west on Dodds when the car went off the north edge of the road and hit the pole.

The car overturned, ejecting at least two of the six people inside. Live power lines fell from the pole and across the road, the CHP reported.

The driver and two passengers, 19 and 17, died. Three passengers, ages 3, 11, and 17, suffered injuries ranging from moderate to major and were taken to hospitals for treatment. All of the people in the car were men and boys from Stockton.

The Record newspaper of Stockton, citing the San Joaquin and Stanislaus county coroners' offices, identified the dead as Robert Alejo Jr., the driver, Jesse Romo, 19, and Tony Martinez, 17.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, the CHP said, and investigators said they did not yet know whether alcohol was a factor.

Authorities ask anyone with information on the crash to call officer C. Wood at (209) 943-8666.

This story was originally published April 30, 2013 at 3:48 PM with the headline "3 dead, 3 injured in Escalon crash."