Four dead, including infant, in Stanislaus County crash; victims identified
Family identifies 2 of the people killed, one of them a 1-year-old girl
Family identifies 2 of the people killed, one of them a 1-year-old girl
Family identifies 2 of the people killed, one of them a 1-year-old girl
Four people have died after a crash in Stanislaus County on Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The four-vehicle crash happened around 4 p.m. on McHenry Avenue just north of Hogue Road near Escalon.
Officials said a 19-year-old woman was driving a Mitsubishi sedan northbound with a 22-year-old male passenger when the car veered into the southbound lane. The Mitsubishi hit a Toyota SUV driven by a 60-year-old woman head-on. There was also a one-year-old child in the Toyota.
CHP said the man and woman in the Mitsubishi died on the scene. The one-year-old child and 60-year-old woman in the Toyota were taken to area hospitals where they later died.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office on Thursday identified the four as:
- 60-year-old Patricia Lopez of Turlock
- 20-month-old Clara Howells of Turlock
- 19-year-old Angeles Escoto of Merced
- 23-year-old Francis Catano of Merced
Family members of Lopez and Howells shared the following photos of the two.
"You don't expect this at all, but when it hits it hits hard. All I can say is hug your loved ones a little bit tighter tonight," said Crystal Marshall, Lopez's eldest daughter.
Marshall described her one-year-old niece Clara as energetic and "sassy" like her grandmother.
Lopez had been babysitting Clara and was on her way to drop her off when they were hit.
"She's in heaven now with my niece, but she was a good grandma to my three babies and they're going to miss her dearly," said Marshall.
After the initial collision, a Ford pickup struck both the Mitsubishi and Toyota and a Ram van hit the Mitsubishi. Neither of those drivers were injured.
Officials said it's not clear if drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.