2 Killed in Highway 129 Crash in Santa Cruz County ID'd as Alex Mascarenoluque and Nestor Quiroa
Santa Cruz County, California (June 24, 2022) – Authorities have disclosed the identities of the two people who were killed in a Wednesday afternoon head-on collision near Aromas in Santa Cruz County.
32-year-old Alex Mascarenoluque and his passenger, 20-year-old Nestor Emmanuel Beltran Quiroa, both residents of Los Banos, were killed in the collision.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a Honda Ridgeline pickup truck and a GMC Sierra pickup truck towing a 30-foot travel camper collided just under the Old Chittenden Road bridge at around 3:47 p.m.
Mascarenoluque was driving the Honda eastbound on the highway when he allowed the vehicle to drift over the double yellow line and collided head-on with the westbound Chevy.
Watsonville Head-On Crash Leaves 2 Los Banos Men Dead, 7 Injured
Nestor died at the scene of the crash.
Alex was transported to a trauma center where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Two other passengers in the Honda were hospitalized with major injuries.
The GMC driver along with his wife and three children of ages 10, 12 and 14 suffered minor injuries and were transported to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for treatment.
Authorities are still investigating the accident.
Original Story
Santa Cruz County, California (June 22, 2022) – A man is dead and several other people are injured following a Wednesday afternoon crash along Highway 129 in Santa Cruz County, according to the California Highway Patrol.
At about 3:47 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to reports of a head-on along Highway 129 under the Old Chittenden Road bridge.
According to the CHP, a male driver of a Honda Ridgeline pickup was eastbound on Highway 129 near the San Benito/Santa Cruz county line when he drifted over the double yellow line and crashed head-on into a westbound Chevy Silverado pickup towing a 30-foot travel camper.
CHP officials confirmed that one man in the Honda died in the crash. Three people were critically injured and four others had moderate injuries.
According to the CHP, three medical helicopters and six ambulances were requested to the scene of the crash.
The cause of the crash was not immediately determined.
The incident is under investigation.
Crash Fatalities in California Went Up in 2021, Early Federal Estimates Show
Newly released estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that fatalities caused by traffic crashes on U.S. freeways reached a 16-year high in 2021.
The crash deaths also increased in almost every state, including California, according to NHTSA.
According to the Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2021 report released by NHTSA, about 42,915 people were killed in traffic collisions in 2021 in the U.S. This shows a 10.5% increase from the 38,828 fatalities reported in 2020.
NHTSA says the projection is the highest number of traffic deaths since 2005 as well as the largest percentage rise in the history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
In California, 4,258 people died in traffic collisions in 2021 – a 10.7 increase from 2020's 3,847, as per the NHTSA report titled – “Crash Stats: Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2021.”
According to the traffic deaths estimates, in the two-state region that includes Arizona and California, crash fatalities in 2021 are projected to go up by 10% over the previous year.
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