Two people die in head-on crash on Highway 101

May 24, 2017

A 30-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man, both from Lincoln, Nebraska, died after a pickup truck crossed into oncoming traffic on Highway 101 and collided head-on with their car.

The crash occurred on Sunday south of Bradley Road in Monterey County, slightly north of the San Luis Obispo County line. At 10:26 a.m., a brown Ford F350 pickup truck was traveling at an unknown speed in the fast lane of southbound Highway 101. For an unknown reason, the driver of the pickup, a 60-year-old Salinas man, lost control of the vehicle, drove onto the dirt center divider and into northbound traffic, according to the CHP.

Both of the Nebraska residents died upon impact with the truck, even though they were wearing seat belts. The victims were traveling in a 2010 Honda Civic at an unknown speed.

Following the initial impact, a Toyota Corolla that was traveling behind the Honda also collided with the Ford pickup. Three people were inside the Ford at the time of the crash. They each suffered minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The driver of the Toyota escaped uninjured. The collision caused major damage to the truck and the Honda Civic and minor damage to the Toyota Corolla.

Officials have yet to release the names of the victims. It is also unclear if drugs or alcohol were possible factors in the collision.