Mark Keach ID'd as Man Killed in Merced County Crash near Vincent Road and Harding Road
Merced County, California (June 30, 2022) – Mark Keach, 56, of Atwater, has been identified as the man who was killed in a head-on collision on Tuesday morning near Delhi in Merced County, according to the Merced County Sheriff Coroner's Office.
The crash happened at around 8:30 a.m. on Vincent Road, just north of Harding Road.
The California Highway Patrol said Mercedes Adams, 44, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was driving an Infiniti SUV southbound on Vincent Road when she drifted off the side of the road for unknown reasons.
She then over-corrected and swerved into the northbound side, where she collided head-on with an oncoming Chevrolet Cruze driven by Keach.
The impact caused the Chevrolet to catch fire.
Mark Keach Killed in Merced County Collision near Vincent Road and Harding Road
Keach was pronounced deceased at the scene of the collision.
Passengers in Keach's vehicle, Logan Keach, 21, and a 17-year-old boy, both of Atwater, were both airlifted to hospitals with critical injuries.
Adams and her passenger, Jasmine Dontz, 20, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, were also flown to hospital with critical injuries.
Alcohol and drugs were not suspected to have played a role in the accident.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
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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