Driver and passenger killed in Merced County wrong-way crash identified by coroner

The Merced County Sheriff Coroner’s Office has identified the driver of a wrong-way vehicle and a passenger in another vehicle who were killed in a Highway 99 head-on collision Thanksgiving morning.

Bryant Noyola, 22, and Norma Rodriguez, 49, both of Modesto, were killed in the crash, according to Deputy Michael Domingue.

Authorities said California Highway Patrol officers responded to a head-on collision involving a wrong way driver in the area of Highway 99 north of the Atwater-Merced Expressway at about 4:14 a.m.

. The CHP said one of the vehicles was engulfed in flames when officers arrived on the scene.

According to authorities, it appears Noyola was driving a 2002 Hyundai Elantra at an estimated 80 to 90 mph in the wrong direction in the southbound lanes of Highway 99, north of westside boulevard. At the same time, a 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by 43-year-old Gonzalo Ahumbra of Modesto was traveling southbound on Highway 99 at about 65 mph in the No. 1 lane, directly in the path of the Hyundai.

The vehicles collided, and the Chevrolet overturned onto its roof, coming to rest in the center median, the CHP said. The driver of the Tahoe and two teenage passengers were able to exit the vehicle before it caught fire. Arriving officers were able to pull Rodriguez from the vehicle, according to the CHP. Both Rodriguez and Noyola were pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said Ahumbra and the two teenage female passengers in the Chevrolet were transported to regional hospitals for treatment of their injuries. According to the CHP, the collision remains under investigation, and it is unknown if Noyola was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.