1 dead, 1 injured in road crash outside Le Grand

One person was killed and another suffered major injuries early Thursday when a vehicle slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer truck west of Le Grand, the California Highway Patrol confirmed.

The driver of a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze was killed. The name of the victim was not immediately available. He was said to be a 21-year-old Patterson resident, according to Officer Moises Onsurez.

A passenger in the Cruze, Kayleigh Haas, 22, of Le Grand, was taken to an area hospital with two broken ankles, the CHP said.

An update on her condition was not available.

Investigators said the sedan was traveling north about 2 a.m. on Minturn Road and “accelerated into” the back of the 1997 Freightliner hauling two trailer loads of grapes.

The truck driver, Larry Ewing, 57, of Chowchilla, was not injured, according to the CHP.

Officers said Ewing was stopped at the T-intersection of Minturn and Le Grand roads, preparing to turn left, when the sedan crashed into the back of his trailer. Ewing told investigators the vehicle “did not appear to slow prior to colliding into the rear of the Freightliner.”

The cause of the crash remained under investigation Thursday.

It was initially reported that two passengers were in the Cruze, but there was only one, officials said.

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 9:47 AM with the headline "1 dead, 1 injured in road crash outside Le Grand."