Crash near Mendota kills woman, injures multiple people, California Highway Patrol says

A woman is dead and five people were hurt Tuesday a two-vehicle collision just south of Mendota, California Highway Patrol reported.

Los Banos Area California Highway Patrol officers responded to the collision at about 4:45 a.m. in the area of West Panoche Road and Highway 33, according to a CHP news release.

Authorities said a 2003 Nissan Sentra was traveling westbound on West Panoche Road. The Nissan, driven by 32-year-old Alberto Rojas of Fresno and carrying three passengers, attempted to cross Highway 33 after stopping at a posted stop sign.

The CHP said the Nissan entered the southbound lane of Highway 33 directly in the path of a southbound 2001 Toyota Sienna driven by Santos Valentin, 55, of Mendota, carrying three passengers. The front of the Toyota collided with the right side of the Nissan, according to the release.

Rojas suffered major injuries in the collision and was taken to Madera Community Regional Hospital by helicopter. A 32-year-old woman in the front right passenger seat of the Nissan was flown to Community Regional Hospital in Fresno but succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the CHP.

A female passenger in the rear of the Nissan was also taken to Community Regional Hospital In Fresno for treatment of major injuries.

Valentin suffered minor injuries in the collision and refused medical attention at the scene, according to the CHP. A 59-year-old man and a 62-year-old man, both from Mendota, who were passengers in the Toyota, were taken to Community Regional Hospital in Fresno for treatment of moderate injuries.

A 26-year-old man who was a passenger in the Nissan and a 43-year-old man who was a passenger in the Toyota, both reported minor injuries in the collision and were not transported, according to the release.

The CHP said neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the collision.