Update: Mother and daughter killed in distracted driving crash on I-5 near Patterson
A mother and her 9-year-old daughter were killed in a distracted driving crash on Interstate 5 Wednesday afternoon.
The victims were passengers in a Toyota sedan that was in the fast lane of southbound I-5, south of Interstate 580, around 1 p.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer Tom Olsen.
The driver of the Toyota, 25-year-old Daniel Vega, told investigators the vehicle got a flat tire so he was slowing down and starting to pull into the center median when the collision occurred.
The driver of the box truck, Catarino Torres Jr., 27 of Modesto, “admitted to reaching for something within his truck and looked away momentarily,” Olsen said.
“When he looked up he struck the right rear of the Toyota.”
The impact sheared off part of the right side of the vehicle.
The 30-year-old woman and 9-year-old girl died at the scene. A 4-year-old girl in the Toyota was transported to the hospital but was uninjured, Olsen said Wednesday night.
The family is from Onterio in Southern California.
Vega was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Torres was not hurt.
Only one of three lanes on southbound I-5 were open while officers investigated throughout the afternoon. As of 7 p.m., all lanes were open.
“Just looking away for a few second out here on our freeways at 70 mph, the vehicle travels approximately a football field,” Olsen said. “Unfortunately two people lost their lives today; this did not need to happen.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 3:27 PM.
