In related I-5 crashes near CHP closure, 2 killed, Gustine woman arrested for DUI
Two people were killed early Monday when a van crashed into a stopped tractor-trailer on Interstate 5 near Newman. Traffic already was backed up because of a separate crash investigation, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The fatal collision occurred at about 2:25 a.m. on southbound I-5, about 300 feet north of a Caltrans closure established for an earlier series of crashes.
The CHP said a 2006 Dodge van was traveling south when its driver failed to slow for a stopped 2001 Kenworth tractor-trailer and crashed into the rear of the truck.
The van’s driver, a 19-year-old Los Angeles man, and a male passenger in the right front seat suffered fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names were not immediately released pending notification of family members.
Neither occupant was wearing a seat belt, the CHP said.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, identified as 35-year-old Pardeep Marahar of Mercer Island, Washington, was not injured.
Authorities said it remains unknown whether alcohol or drugs were factors in the fatal crash.
What happened in the earlier crash
The closure had been established while officers investigated a separate chain-reaction crash that began shortly before midnight.
According to the CHP, 57-year-old Nancy Cortes Flores of Gustine was driving a 2013 Honda sedan at a high rate of speed when she rear-ended a Chevrolet Equinox on southbound I-5 north of Stuhr Road at about 11:50 p.m. Sunday.
After the crash, Flores and her passenger, 43-year-old Felix Antonio Ruiz, exited the Honda and walked into the center median, CHP said. The damaged Honda remained stopped in the left lane facing the wrong direction.
The disabled vehicle was subsequently struck by additional motorists attempting to avoid it, including a Toyota Camry and a Nissan SUV. The Nissan overturned after leaving the roadway, sending five occupants to hospitals with minor injuries.
At about 12:15 a.m., a Honda Pilot swerved to avoid the Honda and entered the center median, where it struck Ruiz.
Ruiz suffered major injuries and was taken to a hospital.
Flores was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and booked into the Stanislaus County jail, according to the CHP.
Traffic was delayed for about five hours while officers investigated both incidents.
