Modesto man dies after vintage car is torn in half

A man died and two people suffered major injuries Saturday afternoon when the driver of a vintage car lost control, sending the vehicle into a spin before it was torn in half just northeast of Modesto.

The 45-year-old Modesto man driving a light blue 1967 Plymouth Barracuda was pronounced dead at the scene, said California Highway Patrol Officer Aaron Keller. There were no passengers in his vehicle when the deadly crash occurred about 4:10 p.m. Saturday. His name was not released Sunday pending family notification.

The Plymouth was heading north on Terminal Avenue, north of Claus Road. Keller said it was unclear how fast, but the Plymouth was moving faster than the 55 mph posted speed limit in that area.

The Plymouth veered off the road onto a dirt and gravel shoulder. Keller said the Plymouth’s driver over-corrected onto the road and lost control, sending the vehicle into a counter-clockwise spin.

As the car was spinning, it came into the path of a black 2012 Honda Accord heading south on Terminal. Keller said the Honda’s front end struck the Plymouth’s passenger side.

The impact split the Plymouth in half, Keller said, sending its front end to the road’s west shoulder. The rest of the car came to rest in the southbound lane. Keller said the driver was ejected as the car was torn in half.

He said the Plymouth had lap seat belts, but its driver was not wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred. The officer said it is legal to wear lap seat belts while driving or riding in a vintage vehicle that was made before a law in the 1970s required seat belts to have a lap and shoulder harness.

A 24-year-old Modesto man driving the Honda Accord and a 26-year-old Newman woman riding in the car’s front passenger seat suffered major injuries in the crash. They were both taken to local hospitals by ambulances. Their names were not released Sunday afternoon.

Keller said drugs and alcohol were not suspected of being a factor in the fatal wreck, but the cause of the crash remained under investigation.

This story was originally published October 8, 2017 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Modesto man dies after vintage car is torn in half."