Skip to content
NOWCAST KCRA 3 News at 5pm
Live Now
Advertisement

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

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

REMEMBERING THEIR LOVED ONES. YOU DON’T EXPECT THIS AT ALL, BUT WHEN IT HITS, IT HITS HARD. ALL I CAN SAY, IT’S JUST HUG YOUR LOVED ONES A LITTLE BIT TIGHTER TONIGHT. FAMILIES ARE GRIEVING THE UNEXPECTED LOSS OF THEIR LOVED ONES AS THEY SEE ANOTHER. IT’S ALL DESCRIBED AS AN ITALIAN TOUGH WOMAN, 60 YEAR OLD PATRICIA LOPEZ WAS ONE OF THE FOUR VICTIMS HER HUSBAND SPOKE WITH ME, SHARING THE EMPTINESS NOW LEFT AS UNITED REACHED OVER IN BED WITH MY ARMS IN. THERE WAS NOBODY THERE. THAT’S KIND OF HARD TO TAKE AFTER SO MANY YEARS. LOPEZ HAD BEEN BABYSITTING ONE OF THE YOUNGEST GRANDCHILDREN AND WAS ON HER WAY TO DROP OFF ONE YEAR OLD CLARA HOWELL’S. FULL OF ENERGY, SASSY LIKE MINE. YOU KNOW, THEY ALL CAME FROM. THEY HAD A SASSY GRANDMA JUST SHY OF HER SECOND BIRTHDAY, LITTLE CLARA HOWELLS ALSO DIED IN THE ACCIDENT. YOU KNOW, SHE’S IN HEAVEN NOW WITH MY MY NIECE. BUT SHE WAS A GOOD GRANDMA TO MY THREE BABIES, AND THEY’RE GOING TO MISS HER DEARLY. MARICELA DE LA CRUZ KCRA THREE NEWS A. 19 YEAR OLD WOMAN AND 22 YEAR OLD MAN ALSO DIED IN THE COLLISION. THE CHP SAYS THAT THEIR CAR CROSSED LANES, HITTING LOPEZ’S CAR HEAD ON. TWO
Advertisement
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

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 Turlock20-month-old Clara Howells of Turlock19-year-old Angeles Escoto of Merced23-year-old Francis Catano of MercedFamily 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.See more coverage of top California stories here.

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.

Advertisement

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.

Clara Howells identified as child who died in Stanislaus County crash
Amanda Howells
Patricia Lopez identified in deadly Stanislaus County crash
Amanda Howells

"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.

See more coverage of top California stories here.