Seven Killed in Crash on Interstate 5 : Tragedy: Five are also injured when a van makes a U-turn on the highway in the San Joaquin Valley and collides with a car.
KETTLEMAN CITY, Calif. — Seven people were killed Saturday when a van made a U-turn on Interstate 5, collided with a car and burst into flames, the California Highway Patrol said.
Six of 10 family members in the van and the passenger in the car were killed in the accident about 5:45 a.m. The two drivers and three van passengers were taken to the hospital.
The accident occurred near Kettleman City, a Central Valley town about 70 miles north of Bakersfield.
The van’s driver, 16-year-old Edgar Zambrano of San Jose, was headed south when he crossed the dirt center divider after missing an exit, said a CHP spokeswoman.
The van pulled out of the center strip into the path of a northbound car. The car hit the rear of the van, which burst into flames and slid onto the highway’s shoulder.
The car, driven by Renato Valdez, 35, of Rancho Cucamonga came to rest blocking northbound traffic. The passenger in the car, Alex DeLeon, 28, of Rancho Cucamonga was killed.
Those killed in the van were: Beatrice Anaya Zambrano, 41; Gladys Zambrano 11; Veronica Zambrano, 18; Fidel Anaya, 43; Altagracia Hernandez, 35 and Jessie Zambrano, 8.
The people in the van were relatives and all lived in San Jose, except Anaya, who was visiting from Mexico.
There was no fog, and the highway was dry when the accident occurred, the CHP said.
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