Oct. 15, 2015
Tuolumne County – A fiery Northern California car crashe leaves five dead and two badly injured, authorities said.
The Saturday evening head-on collision happened about 6:30 p.m. on Highway 120. A 2012 Mercedes hit a 2012 Nissan. The force of the collison caused both vehicles to catch fire, according to CHP spokesperson Nick Norton. The fire was quickly extinguished.
The identities of the victims was not available, and no other vehicles were involved in the incident. The two survivors suffered severe injuries and were transferred to a Modesto hospital.
Authorities don’t know if speeding was involved. The cars caught fire on a hillside and were completely burned.
According to witnesses, one of the cars crossed the center line and struck the other vehicle, says Norton.
The section of 120 Highway where the accident occurred has no divider or median, said Norton. “It’s a remote, two-way freeway.”
The crash shut down a portion of the freeway for several hours. “It was inaccessible for most of Saturday night into early Sunday morning.
