Highway 165 accident sends two to hospital

An accident involving four vehicles on Highway 165 and Johnson Avenue in Hilmar sent two people to the hospital Wednesday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol reported.

A 2007 Freightliner truck and trailer driven by a Turlock man was stopped in the southbound lane of Highway 165 about 2:45 p.m. because of an incident that happened in the northbound lanes of the highway, according to officer John Patterson, CHP spokesman. The CHP had not released names of those involved in the accident by the Sun-Star's deadline.

A Mazda Tribute, driven by a Modesto woman, stopped behind the big rig, and a Dodge Ram pickup driven by a woman from Hilmar stopped.

The driver of another big rig didn't see the stopped vehicles. The rig, traveling about 45 miles per hour, hit the Dodge, which struck the Mazda, pushing it into the first stopped big rig, Patterson said.

The driver of the Mazda sustained major injuries and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Modesto. The driver of the Dodge pickup had minor injuries, and was taken to a Modesto hospital by ambulance. Neither of the big rig drivers was injured.

The southbound lane of Highway 165 was closed for about an hour. Patterson said the investigation into the accident is ongoing, and no citations had been issued.

-- Carol Reiter