Victim identified in fatal Merced County crash

A woman killed Wednesday a crash on Highway 99 has been identified.

Stephanie Sanchez, 19, of Chowchilla died when the car in which she was riding overturned on Highway 99 in the area of Silveira Way and Buchanan Hollow Road, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Sanchez’s name was confirmed Friday by the Merced County Coroner’s Office.

She was a passenger in a 2005 Honda Civic that was heading north on Highway 99 around 5:50 p.m. Wednesday. The driver, Alexis Medina Esqueda, told investigators he lost control of the car, which overturned multiple times, trapping both victims inside, officers said.

Medina Esqueda, 20, of Merced, suffered unspecified minor injuries and was taken to a Modesto hospital for treatment.

Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been factors. The cause of the crash remained under investigation.

This story was originally published September 29, 2017 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Victim identified in fatal Merced County crash."