Jasmine Dontz Seriously Injured in Merced County Crash near Vincent and Harding Roads
Merced County, California (June 30, 2022) – 20-year-old Jasmine Dontz of Fort Wayne, Indiana, suffered major injuries in a deadly traffic collision that took place near Delhi in Merced County on Tuesday morning, the authorities said.
The incident happened at about 8:30 a.m. on June 28, on Vincent Road, just north of Harding Road.
Dontz was a passenger in an Infiniti SUV heading south on Vincent Road when it swerved off the side of the road for unknown reasons.
The SUV then over-corrected into the northbound lane and crashed head-on with an oncoming Chevrolet Cruze that was being driven by Mark Keach, 56, of Atwater.
The impact caused the Chevrolet to catch fire, and Keach was killed in the collision.
Dontz and the driver of the Infiniti, Mercedes Adams, 44, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, were both flown to a hospital for treatment of critical injuries.
Passengers in the Cruze, Logan Keach, 21, and a 17-year-old boy, both of Atwater, were also airlifted with critical injuries.
Authorities said alcohol and drugs were not suspected in the incident, which remained under investigation.
ORIGINAL STORY
Merced County, California (June 28, 2022) – Authorities are investigating a Tuesday morning traffic accident that killed one person and injured five others in Merced County.
The deadly accident happened at about 8:30 a.m. on Vincent Road, just north of Harding Road, north of Delhi.
According to the California Highway Patrol, an Infinity SUV with two people inside veered to the right shoulder. It then swerved to the left, colliding with a Chevy Malibu occupied by a man and three teenagers.
As a result of the crash impact, the Chevy reportedly caught fire which the officers contained.
Sadly, the driver of the Chevy, who was trapped in the wreckage, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A woman and four teenagers sustained major injuries and were airlifted to the hospital for treatment.
Further details regarding the accident were not immediately available.
The crash remains 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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