Riverbank man dead after head-on crash east of Denair

One man was pronounced dead at the scene and another was taken to Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock after a head-on collision on a two-lane road in farmland east of Denair.

The crash occurred about 6:45 a.m. on Bledsoe Road just south of East Keyes Road. The preliminary investigation indicates that the driver of a 2002 Dodge pickup truck, Jose Alvarez, 39, of Winton, was northbound on Bledsoe and attempted to pass a slower-moving vehicle, said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Fabio Serrato.

While in the southbound lane, Alvarez saw a 1990 Toyota pickup approaching and tried to return to the northbound lane, Serrato said. But as he crested a rise in the road, the rear of his truck lost traction and he spun out of control, according to the CHP report on the crash. Alvarez struck the front driver’s side of the Toyota.

Both vehicles came to rest on the west side of Bledsoe, with the Toyota south of the Dodge. The driver of the Toyota, 47-year-old Adolfo Cortes-Verduzco of Riverbank, was pronounced dead at the scene. Though he was wearing his lap and shoulder restraint, the impact tore the strap from the latch and ejected him through the rear window of his truck, the CHP said.

Alvarez was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

There were no passengers in either vehicle, Serrato said.

Witnesses told the CHP they recognized the pickups as belonging to men who work on farmland there.

Additional witnesses are being sought as the investigation continues, Serrato said.

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Riverbank man dead after head-on crash east of Denair."