July 21, 2023 / Source: Merced Sun-Star
The California Highway Patrol reported a multi-vehicle accident in Merced on Thursday. The accident occurred on Highway 99, just south of Franklin Road at around 10:40 a.m.
According to the officials, a big rig was travelling north on the highway when one of its axles had a malfunction. This caused one of the tires to bounce over the centre divide and crash into a Nissan pickup truck that had been heading south.
The tire crashed into the windshield on the driver’s side and caused fatal injuries to the driver. The victim was identified only as a 58-year-old woman from Avenal and was pronounced dead at the scene. There was a passenger, a 5-year-old girl, who did not incur any injuries. She was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
The cause of the fatal collision is still being investigated at this time.