VERNALIS – A 26-year-old Ceres man was killed and an 11-month-old infant girl in another car later died from injuries caused in a five-vehicle Saturday crash on State Route 132 east of River Road.

A total of four other persons sustained minor injuries.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the man killed in the 12:57 p.m. crash was the one who caused it. Jairo Renteria Colchado, 26, of Ceres was declared dead at the scene.

The 11-month-old Ceres girl riding in a westbound 2021 Toyota sedan who was flown by air ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento with major injuries but later died.

The CHP said that Renteria Colchado was driving eastbound on the highway in a 2001 Honda sedan when he partially drifted across the double yellow center line and into the westbound lane where he sideswiped a 2012 Honda SUV driven by Hector Garcia, 41, of Modesto. Garcia sustained minor injuries while passengers Lilian Rivera, 37, and Abigail Rivera, 10, both of Modesto were not injured. An eight-year-old Modesto boy riding in the Garcia vehicle, Jonathan Rivera, 8, of Modesto, sustained minor injuries.

The Honda continued into the westbound lane and head-on into a 2021 Toyota driven by Lizandro Castillo, 27, of Ceres.  The impact caused major injuries that would prove fatal to the infant and minor injuries to the driver and passenger Rosaura Lines, 31, of Ceres.

The child was reportedly placed in a car seat that faced forward, which is against state law which calls for children under the age of two to be in a rear-facing car seat.

Traveling westbound behind Castillo’s car was a 2004 Chevrolet van driven by Esther Yahaira, 41, of Oakland who slammed on her brakes in an attempt to avoid the crash. The van was hit from behind by a 2011 Honda sedan driven by Abel Velasquez, 24, of Modesto. Velasquez was not injured and neither was Yahaira or her four passengers – Sandra Villagra, 54, and Alba Hernandez, 62, both of Oakland, Flor Cabrera, 31, of Oakland and Karen Beltrand, 31, of Oakland.

The crash caused State Route 132 to be closed between River Road and Gates Road until its reopening at 3:10 p.m. Caltrans diverted traffic through the area with minimal delay.

The CHP said they are unsure if drugs or alcohol contributed to this collision.

All involved parties were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the collision.