Crash reported on I-5 near Santa Nella kills 8-year-old boy, injures two juveniles
An 8-year-old boy suffered fatal injuries and two children were hurt in a two-vehicle crash Friday near Santa Nella, according to the California Highway Patrol..
The Merced County Sheriff’s Corner’s Office identified the boy as Angel Alvarez Gonzalez, of Quincy, Washington., according to Deputy Daryl Allen.
CHP officers responded to the crash involving a 2003 Toyota Camry and a 2018 Toyota 4Runner on northbound Interstate 5, north of Henry Miller Avenue at about 8 p.m. Friday.
According to a CHP news release, Guillermina Gonzalez, 30, of Quincy, Wash., was driving the Camry southbound on I-5 in the No. 2 lane with three juvenile passengers at about 70 mph when she lost control of the vehicle after it traveled into the median for unknown reasons.
The vehicle traveled through the median and into the No. 2 lane of northbound I-5 directly into the path of a the 4Runner traveling northbound at about 65 mph, occupied by driver Luis Castillo, 37, and passenger Maria Ruiz, 42, both of Oakland.
The front of the 4Runner collided with the right side of the Camry, causing the vehicle to travel off the east edge of the roadway. The 8-year-old boy, who was located in the right rear of the vehicle, suffered fatal injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to CHP Officer Shannon Stiers.
The other two passengers, a 5-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl, were not properly restrained in child car seats and were ejected from the vehicle, Stiers said.
Following the crash, the 2-year-old was transported to Valley Children’s Hospital and the 5-year-old was transported to Children’s Hospital San Jose, both with major injuries, according to the release.
Gonzalez was transported to Doctor’s Medical Center with moderate injuries while both Castillo and Ruiz were transported to Emanuel Medical Center with minor injuries, according to Stiers.
Authorities said neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the collision.