Driver identified in fatal crash near Los Banos

A man killed Tuesday in a crash on State Route 165 has been identified as a 46-year-old Los Banos resident.

Thomas Watkins was involved in a collision around 2 p.m. Tuesday on the highway, between Los Banos and Hilmar, the Merced County Coroner’s Office confirmed.

He died at the scene after his vehicle, a 2016 Acura ILX, crashed into a 2005 Kenworth tractor-trailer, officers from the California Highway Patrol reported.

Other drivers in the area had reported the Acura driving erratically moments before the crash, officers said.

Lori Cuffman, 43, of San Lorenzo, was a passenger in the Kenworth and suffered unspecified major injuries. She was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, CHP officers reported.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Jason Cann, 43, suffered minor injures, authorities said.

The collision occurred about two miles north of Wolfsen Road. The road was blocked, and Highway 165 was closed at Highway 140 for several hours after the crash, officers said.

This story was originally published June 26, 2015 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Driver identified in fatal crash near Los Banos."