Sonora residents, 91 and 86, killed when car turns into their path

Two Sonora residents — a 91-year-old man and 86-year-old woman — were killed Sunday evening when another car turned into the path of their own at Highway 120-108 at Yosemite Junction in Sonora.

Neither of those killed was wearing a seat belt, the California Highway Patrol reported. Their names have been withheld pending notification of family.

The crash occurred at about 6:15 p.m. The 91-year-old was driving a 1993 Toyota Camry east on the highway. Coming west and intending to make a left turn at the junction was Julieta Pisani-McCarthy, 42, of Berkeley, driving a 2017 Ford Fiesta..

Pisani-McCarthy failed to yield the right of way to the Camry and turned directly into its path, the CHP reported. The Camry driver struck the front left of the Fiesta.

The Camry’s driver was flown to Memorial Medical Center, where he died of his injuries. The woman in the car died at the scene.

Pisani-McCarthy suffered major injuries and also was flown to Memorial.

The passengers in the Fiesta, Berkeley residents Brian McCarthy, 49, Nico McCarthy, 8, and Catalina McCarthy, 6, suffered minor injuries and were treated at Adventist Health Sonora.

Traffic on the highway was blocked for about 40 minutes because of the collision. Alcohol and drugs are not suspected to be factors in the crash, which remains under investigation, the CHP reported.

This story was originally published July 16, 2018 at 7:15 AM.