Major injuries in separate crashes on Highway 99 in Merced

Two people suffered major injuries morning Friday morning in separate collisions on southbound Highway 99 in Merced, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Traffic moved slowly for several hours following the collision, Officer Moises Onsurez said.

The first collision, reported at 7:13 a.m., involved two tractor-trailers and a pickup truck on southbound Highway 99 at G Street. The pickup, 1998 Mazda, crashed into a sand barrier in the area and overturned, Onsurez said.

The driver of the pickup, Francisco Maldonado, 56, of Merced was taken to Doctors Hospital in Modesto with major injuries. An update on his condition was not available.

The driver of the first tractor-trailer, Jason Griffith, 38, of Brookings, Ore., crashed into the Mazda. The Mazda pickup, while overturning, crashed into the side of the second tractor-trailer, driven by Joaquin Duran-Parra, 25, of Merced.

Neither Griffith nor Duran-Parra were injured.

“We can say that DUI was not a factor in this crash,” Onsurez said.

A short time later, around 7:28 a.m., a 2007 GMC Sierra crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on southbound Highway 99 just south of the V Street offramp. The pickup truck’s driver, Richard Paivanas, 62, of Visalia suffered major injuries. He was also taken to a hospital for treatment, Onsurez said. An update on his condition was not available.

“It appears traffic was slowing down for the first collision when the second collision occurred,” Onsurez said.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Robert Anlauf, 62, of Oregon was not injured.

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 9:08 AM with the headline "Major injuries in separate crashes on Highway 99 in Merced."