3 farmworkers killed in Merced County crash identified

Three females killed over the weekend in a crash in Merced County have been identified.

Sgt. Delray Shelton of the county Coroner’s Office on Tuesday said the three people killed Saturday were Corrine Palacios, 16, Christina Bautista Dalton, 35, and Maria Acevedo Cisneros, 48.

Eight people were riding in a Chevrolet van about 1:30 p.m. Saturday on State Route 152, returning after a day working in agricultural fields, officers from the California Highway Patrol reported.

They were heading east on the highway near Island Road when the vehicle began to drift off the roadway and the driver, Enrique Franco, 21, of Livingston, overcorrected and the vehicle rolled, officers said.

Officers confirmed that six people were ejected from the van, including the three women who died at the scene.

Franco; Antonia Sandoval, 62; a 17-year-old boy; a 16-year-old girl; and an unidentified woman were taken to hospitals. Officers said it appeared that only the 17-year-old was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

The driver did not appear to be speeding or driving recklessly, officers said.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation.

This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 9:44 AM with the headline "3 farmworkers killed in Merced County crash identified."