Driver, passenger killed in Stanislaus County crash, CHP reports

A driver and her female passenger both died in a crash Saturday night in the Westley area, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash was reported at 10:49 p.m. and the vehicle involved was a Chevrolet Cobalt. according to the CHP’s online incident page.

The driver of the sedan was going east on Howard Road, approaching Frank Cox Road, said Modesto area CHP spokesman Officer Tom Olsen. Howard turns north where it meets Frank Cox, but the driver was going too fast to negotiate the turn, Olsen said.

Instead, the sedan continued northeast, leaving the road and hitting a dirt berm. The occupants were not wearing their seat belts and died from their injuries.

“We still do not know their identities,” Olsen told The Bee in a text message Sunday morning. He also said it has not been determined whether alcohol or drugs factored in the crash.

But he added that safety restraints might have changed the outcome. “Seat belts, when worn properly, have the ability to save lives when involved in traffic collisions.”