Police release more details, Modesto man’s name in deadly Sonora crash

Sonora police officials have released more details about a head-on crash near Highway 108 last week that killed a Modesto man and injured a woman when their two vehicles collided.

The fatal crash was reported about 8:30 a.m. Friday in the area of West Stockton Road and Mill Villa Court. Sonora Police Chief Turu Vanderwiel said it appeared that speed was a factor in the crash.

He said Matthew Winn, 23, died in the crash. Winn was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 56-year-old Sonora woman suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, according to the police chief. She was taken by ambulance to a Modesto hospital for treatment.

Vanderwiel said Winn was driving a 2016 Nissan Sentra and heading west on West Stockton Road. The Sonora woman was driving a 2016 Ford van on the same road in the opposite direction.

The crash occurred when the Nissan crossed into opposing traffic and struck the small van head-on, according to the police chief.

Officer Scott Mallon last week said witnesses told police that the Nissan’s driver was speeding and passing other vehicles over a double-yellow line in the road before the crash occurred.

The California Highway Patrol and the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department assisted police by closing the area to keep traffic out as investigators worked at the scene. The area remained closed for about two hours.

The police chief said it was clear that weather did not play a role in the crash. But Vanderwiel also said the deadly crash remains under investigation, and it was not known whether drugs or alcohol were a factor.

This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 10:17 AM.