Five people were killed and two others were injured in a two-vehicle crash near Groveland west of Yosemite National Park on Saturday evening, the CHP said. An unidentified woman driving a Mercedes Benz, the auto from San Jose, was driving westbound with four passengers.
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For unknown reasons, the two vehicles collided head-on on the highway east of Smith Station Road. His passenger, Sasha Magana, 22, of Merced, was flown to a Modesto hospital with major injuries. She was reported in stable condition Sunday afternoon. The driver of each auto plus three passengers in the Mercedes died at the scene. Additionally, CHP officials do not believe drugs or alcohol were a factor in the collision.
The California Highway Patrol said the man’s name is not being released “due to the severity” of his injuries, and “until he is medically stable”. Both of the cars caught fire & caused a blaze on a hillside nearby which had been extinguished quickly.
By 3:40 p.m., traffic on Placer Hills Road was moving at a steady flow.
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“We know there were vehicles in the area, possibly in front of the collision, that may have seen something”, Norton said.
