CHP asking for help to locate suspect, witnesses in fatal Tuolumne County crash
The California Highway Patrol is asking for the public’s help in trying to identify the suspect or potential witnesses in the Tuolumne County accident that killed three people.
The Sonora area office of the CHP believes the vehicle that illegally passed another vehicle near Don Pedro Reservoir last Friday – touching off the crash that killed a 16-year-old girl, her mother and a 72-year-old man another vehicle – could be a white, 2014-2016 Acura MDX crossover SUV.
The agency has been reviewing surveillance videos since the accident that occurred on La Grange Road just before 4:30 p.m.
A Lexus SUV driven by 16-year-old Trista Hoffman of La Grange and carrying her mother, Tina Hoffman, 51; brother, Dillon Hoffman, 17; and friend Annie Johnson, 16, was traveling south on La Grange Road as a Toyota Camry driven by 66-year-old Dorothy Eisemann of Copperopolis and carrying her 72-year-old husband, Rheinholt Eisemann, approached from the north. A third vehicle attempted to pass the Toyota over a solid double-yellow line, said CHP Sonora Officer Faustino Pulido.
The Lexus SUV swerved to avoid the oncoming passing car, went into the dirt shoulder and then back onto the roadway, where it overturned onto its right side. The Toyota then collided with the roof of the overturned SUV. Tina Hoffman and Trista Hoffman suffered fatal injuries at the scene. Rheinholt Eisemann was flown to Sonora Regional Medial Center, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Two other suffered major injuries while another suffered minor injuries, the CHP reported.
The CHP is hoping to “hear from potential witnesses traveling in gray or silver colored minivan with black rims that was seen in the area at the time of the accident. The drivers of these vehicles may have valuable information that could assist investigators in identifying the party who caused this collision.”
If you have any information on either of these vehicles please contact the Sonora Area CHP Office at (209)984-3944 or Officer Faustino Pulido (916) 634-3502.
This story was originally published October 31, 2016 at 9:37 PM with the headline "CHP asking for help to locate suspect, witnesses in fatal Tuolumne County crash."