Driver suffers major injuries in crash into semi on Highway 99 in Turlock
A Modesto woman suffered major injuries and was airlifted to a local hospital’s trauma center after her car crashed into the trailer of a semi truck Tuesday morning in Turlock, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The crash happened about 11 a.m., CHP Modesto office spokesman Officer Thomas Olsen said.
The driver of a 2015 Freightliner, Karina Guzman, was southbound in the slow lane of Highway 99. Just north of Lander Avenue, she was rear-ended by a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze compact.
The hood and front half of the passenger compartment lodged beneath the trailer. “The semi pulled to the right shoulder, dragging the Chevy with it,” Olsen said. The 36-year-old driver was alone in the car and was wearing her seat belt.
Her injuries include multiple facial lacerations, Olsen said, but she is expected to survive.
The woman, whose name was not available, was “just an inch away from losing her life — literally,” he said.
She told the CHP she reached down for something, looked up and couldn’t stop from hitting the semi. Guzman was not injured.
“It goes to show the importance of keeping your eyes and mind on the road,” Olsen said. “At freeway speeds, vehicles travel approximately the distance of a football field in just a matter of three seconds.”
The right lane was blocked until about 12:15 p.m. as the car was freed from beneath the trailer, Olsen said.
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 3:58 PM.
