Man suffers major injuries in crash with big rig on Highway 99 in Modesto
A Hanford man suffered major injuries in a crash with a big rig on Highway 99 in Modesto on Monday morning.
At about 10:45 a.m., Eligio Hernandez, 47, of Newman was driving a big rig north in the slow lane of Highway 99 near Standiford Avenue, said California Highway Patrol Officer Ming Hsu.
He suddenly felt a “hard impact” to the left side of his cab, then saw a vehicle spin out of control in front of him.
Hsu said Hernandez, who was not injured, pulled over and walked back to the location the vehicle had gone off the road. He found a 2006 BMW crashed into a tree, with the driver trapped inside.
The Modesto Fire Department responded to the scene and had to use hydraulic extrication tools to free the driver.
The driver, identified as 39-year-old Paul Schwartzkoph of Hanford, was taken to Doctors Medical Center with major injuries. He remained in intensive care on Tuesday, Hsu said.
He said the CHP is looking for witnesses to determine what Schwartzkoph was doing leading up to the crash and what caused him to go to the right and hit the big rig.
This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 12:25 PM.
