Three people killed in two-vehicle crash near Patterson
Three people were killed in a collision east of Patterson on Monday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The collision occurred at Orange and Elm avenues around 2:20 p.m. The driver of a Ram pickup was traveling east on Orange when he failed to yield the right of way to a Dodge SUV that was southbound on Elm, according to the CHP.
Traffic on Orange has a stop sign at the intersection, while traffic on Elm does not.
The pickup traveled directly into the path of the Dodge and the front of the Dodge hit the left side of the RAM, according to the CHP.
Both vehicles proceeded off the roadway on the southeast side of the intersection and overturned onto their left sides.
All three people in the Dodge — two men and a woman — died at the scene. Their names and ages were not available, but CHP Officer Tom Olsen said all were adults.
The driver or the RAM, 20-year-old Mario Estrada of Crows Landing, and his passenger, 20-year old Amy Gaspar of Ceres, were taken to Doctors Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.
Olsen said it remains under investigation whether Estrada ran the stop sign, “However, the damage sustained to both vehicles and their resting points indicate it is likely he did not stop.”
It is unknown at this time if drugs and/or alcohol contributed to this collision. Seat belts will be inspected to see if they were in use at the time of the collision, according to the CHP.
This story was originally published March 6, 2023 at 5:49 PM.
