Driver killed in Merced County head-on collision, according to CHP

A 22-year-old man was killed and multiple passengers were injured in a Merced County head-on collision on July 4, according to authorities.

At about 4:35 p.m. Thursday, Los Banos Area California Highway Patrol officers responded to a two-vehicle collision in the area of Canal School Road, north of State Route 33 near Gustine, according to the CHP. Authorities said the 22-year-old Seaside man was driving a 2017 Nissan south on Canal School Road at an unknown speed with a female passenger.

The CHP said for unknown reasons, the driver allowed the vehicle to travel across the center lines of the road and into the northbound lane of Canal School Road where it collided head-on with a 2002 Chevrolet driven by a 36-year-old man from Stockton. The Chevrolet overturned on to its roof and came to rest on the east shoulder of the road.

Authorities said the driver of the Nissan was not wearing a seat belt and suffered fatal injuries in the collision. The female passenger in the Nissan was transported to a Modesto hospital with major injuries, according to the CHP.

The driver of the Chevrolet and a 34-year-old female passenger were transported to a Modesto hospital for treatment of major injuries. A juvenile passenger in the Chevrolet was transported to Valley Children’s Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, according to authorities.

According to the CHP, neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the collision.