Tire blowout leads to deaths of Modesto man, his passenger in I-5 rollover accident
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A Modesto man and his passenger died in a rollover crash on Interstate 5 near Bakersfield on Wednesday morning.
Two other passengers, from Ripon and Manteca, were also injured, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The four men were traveling about 70 mph in a GMC on northbound I-5, south of State Route 43, when the right rear tire blew out.
The driver, a 51-year-old Modesto man, subsequently made an unsafe turning movement, causing the GMC to overturn multiple times. The driver and the left rear passenger, neither of whom were wearing seat belts, were ejected from the vehicle, according to the CHP.
The passenger landed in one of the lanes and was run over by a Toyota that had been traveling behind them.
Both men died at the scene. Authorities had not yet identified the passenger who died.
Another passenger, a 51-year-old man from Ripon, suffered major injuries.
A fourth passenger, 53-year-old Gene Dalzell of Manteca, was the only person wearing a seat belt and suffered only minor injuries.
The names of the other three men were not released.
The driver and a passenger in the Toyota had minor injuries but declined medical treatment.
The crash remains under investigation.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 10:16 AM.
