Head-on crash kills two on Highway 99 near Merced. CHP pulls woman from burning SUV

A head-on collision on Highway 99 early Thanksgiving morning in central California killed two people and sent three more to area hospitals.

The crash happened near Atwater around 4:15 a.m. just north of Westside Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol, which said it had been alerted to a driver going the wrong way in the southbound lanes.

The car, a 2002 Hyundai Elantra, was traveling 80-90 mph when it collided with a Chevy Tahoe, overturning the SUV, which then caught fire.

The driver and two passengers got out of the Tahoe before it caught fire. Officers pulled a woman from the burning SUV, but she died at the scene, the CHP said. The driver of the Elantra also died.

While neither of the victims killed were identified Friday, the CHP’s preliminary investigation reported the driver of the Elantra was a 22-year-old man from Modesto. The victim in the Tahoe who died was a 35-year-old woman from Modesto.

The driver of the Tahoe and the two other Tahoe passengers, including a 17-year-old, were taken to area hospitals, the CHP said.

It is not known why the Elantra was headed in the wrong direction or whether the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.

The crash remains under investigation, CHP said.

This story was originally published November 24, 2023 at 8:46 AM with the headline "Head-on crash kills two on Highway 99 near Merced. CHP pulls woman from burning SUV."