Oakdale woman killed, 2 injured in wreck on Modesto’s Claus Road

A 40-year-old Oakdale woman died Thursday morning after the vehicle she was driving was struck by an oncoming vehicle on Claus Road in east Modesto.

According to Heather Graves, spokeswoman for the Modesto Police Department, Rida Franco was driving her pickup south on Claus Road north of Milnes Road at about 5:30 a.m. Christopher Stronick, 18, of Oakdale, was driving a Dodge Caliber north on Claus when his vehicle drifted into oncoming traffic. The two vehicles collided.

Graves said Stronick might have fallen asleep at the wheel, although the collision remains under investigation.

Emergency crews attempted life-saving measures on Franco, but she died at the scene. Franco’s 18-year-old passenger, and Stronick, suffered major injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital.

Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been a factor in the collision, which remains under investigation.

The Modesto Police Department Traffic Unit has taken over the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Jim Reeves at 209-652-3296.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Oakdale woman killed, 2 injured in wreck on Modesto’s Claus Road."