In the course of six days, a rash of deadly crashes in the Ceres area has taken the lives of four persons.
The latest crash occurred Sunday evening on Hatch Road near Hughson when a male driver was killed. It was the fourth such deadly crash in the area within nine weeks.
Sunday’s crash occurred at approximately 5:24 p.m. in the 1600 block of Hatch Road at Mountain View Road northeast of Hughson.
When Stanislaus County Sheriff’s deputies arrived they found a black Dodge pickup and a silver Chevy Silverado pickup truck on fire. The driver believed to be responsible for the crash was pronounced dead on the scene. His name was not available when this edition went to press.
According to Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Luke Schwartz a woman driving the other pickup was able to escape with the help of her husband who was following in a separate car. At the time, she had a complaint of injury to her wrist and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Stanislaus County investigators believe the Dodge was eastbound on Hatch Road when the driver began passing other vehicles near Mountain View Road. The man tried passing the last vehicle but it wasn’t clear and he attempted a last-minute correction before crashing head-on into the westbound Silverado driven by the woman.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or have information to provide investigators is urged to call Deputy Matthew Orr at (209) 869-7162, leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636 or visiting www.stancrimetips.org.
Dec. 12 fatality
Two persons were killed and two injured in a grinding head-on crash Tuesday evening, Dec. 12 on Hatch Road at Boothe Road.
Before the sun rose the next morning, a multi-vehicle crash sent six occupants to area hospitals for treatment of minor injuries.
The Dec. 12 crash on Hatch Road occurred at 8:19 p.m. between a white Chrysler 300 and a blue Toyota Prius. Killed in the crash was Leroy Smith, an 89-year-old Castro Valley man who was a passenger in the Toyota and declared dead at the scene; and 36-year-old Youkhana Hermiz of Ceres who was driving the Chrysler and who later died at the hospital.
A 64-year-old Castro Valley woman who was driving the Toyota Prius sustained major injuries and was rushed to the hospital where she is listed in serious but stable condition.
All three victims were trapped inside the wrecked vehicles until they were freed by Modesto Fire Department firefighters using the Jaws of Life.
The Ceres Police Traffic Unit Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) determined that the eastbound Chrysler 300 crossed over the double-yellow line just east of Boothe Road and went head-on into the Toyota being driven westbound on Hatch Road. Investigators have not ruled out alcohol as a cause for the crash.
Anyone who witnessed the collision is encouraged to contact Traffic Officer Aaron Pinon at (209) 538-5678.
Multi-vehicle pileup on Mitchell Road
On Wednesday morning a series of collisions involving 15 vehicles and three tractor-trailer rigs near the Mitchell Road bridge over the Tuolumne River sent six occupants to area hospitals for treatment of minor injuries.
The series of crashes began at 5:09 a.m. north of the bridge and it’s believed that zero visibility from the fog lying along the river was the primary contributing factor.
The Department of Environmental Resources was dispatched to the scene to mitigate the spill of approximately 100 to 150 gallons of diesel fuel.
On Nov. 2 21-year-old Hughson resident Michelle Echeverria was killed in a DUI crash at Hatch and Faith Home roads. Dylan Wilson, 31, of Empire, was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center for driving under the influence resulting in injury or death and second-degree murder.
