Pickup driver hurt in crash with big rig outside Atwater
A 24-year-old Merced man suffered major injuries Friday morning when his pickup truck crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer truck on Highway 59, outside Atwater, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Wilver Moratogrado suffered a broken leg and possibly other injuries about 4:45 a.m. when his 2002 Ford Ranger slammed into the back of the 2009 Peterbilt, driven by Gabriel Ponce, 48, also of Merced, Officer Moises Onsurez said.
The crash occurred on Highway 59, just north of Bellevue Road.
Onsurez said Ponce had turned left into the southbound lane of the highway. Moratogrado was heading north on the highway approaching the turning Peterbilt.
“For unknown reasons, Mr. Moratogrado continued northbound and collided into the left rear of the box van that was attached to the Peterbilt,” the CHP said.
Moratogrado was rushed to Mercy Medical Center. Ponce was not injured, the CHP said.
Onsurez noted it was dark at the time of the crash and the roadway was foggy, but that it was too early to know whether either circumstance was a factor in the crash.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
This story was originally published January 23, 2015 at 10:21 AM with the headline "Pickup driver hurt in crash with big rig outside Atwater."