Two passengers ejected from vehicle in Merced County rollover crash, CHP says

Three people were taken to the hospital after an SUV rolled over in a Memorial Day crash along Highway 99, north of Delhi in Merced County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officers responded to the crash, which involved just the one vehicle, in the area of southbound Highway 99 and West Bradbury Road about 3:30 p.m. Monday, according to Sgt. Danny Bowen.

The driver, 42-year-old Clarissa Cowards of Stockton, was driving south at about 65 mph in the No. 1 lane near West Bradbury in a 2004 Dodge Durango sport utility vehicle.

For some reason, the driver lost control as the vehicle moved to the right. It crossed the No. 2 lane of the highway, drove over the shoulder, then went across an on-ramp and overturned down an embankment.

The woman’s daughter, identified as Alysea Jones, 19, of Stockton, was in the right front passenger seat, authorities said, while an 11-year-old family member was in a rear seat. Both passengers were ejected from the SUV during the crash, the CHP said.

It appears the 19-year-old may not have been wearing a seat belt, according to authorities. It was not immediately known if the driver or other passenger were wearing seat belts, Bowen said.

Both passengers were taken by air ambulance to area hospitals with potentially major injuries, while the driver went by ambulance to an area hospital with complaints of pain, according to Bowen.

Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor, the CHP said.

An investigation is continuing, Bowen said, but the vehicle may have suffered a rear tire blowout.