Hay bales weighing 1,200 pounds kill a woman on the highway, California officials say

A woman was killed when hay bales weighing 1,200 pounds fell off a semi-truck and hit her car, causing her to go into oncoming traffic, the California Highway Patrol said.

Benjamin Zuniga-Garcia, 42, of Winton, was driving his truck carrying hay bales weighing 1,200 pounds each on Highway 299 on Tuesday, Redding Record Searchlight reported, citing a CHP news release.

Investigators said six bales fell from the truck, hitting a 2001 Honda Civic, according to the publication. The car went into oncoming traffic and collided with another car driven by Jeanie Fritch-McClung, 78, who was behind the truck and sustained minor injuries.

The woman driving the Honda Civic was killed and her name has not been released, according to Action News Now.

Zuniga-Garcia had been making a turn when the bales fell, the publication reported.

Two other cars were also hit by fallen hay bales, KRCR reported.

This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Hay bales weighing 1,200 pounds kill a woman on the highway, California officials say."