Fatal Stanislaus County crash death of Clara Howells – Obituary
Identified by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office are the victims of Tuesday’s tragic crash:
Clara Howells, aged 1, from Turlock
Angeles Escoto, aged 19, from Merced
Francis Catano, aged 22, from Merced
Patricia Lopez, aged 60
The California Highway Patrol received reports of a collision on McHenry Avenue, just north of Hogue Road, around 4 p.m. Tuesday.
At the scene, emergency responders discovered four vehicles involved in the collision.
CHP’s preliminary investigation indicates that Escoto was operating a Mitsubishi sedan heading north in the #1 lane of McHenry Avenue. For reasons yet to be determined, the vehicle veered into the #2 lane before returning to the #1 lane and eventually entering the southbound lanes, resulting in a head-on collision with a Toyota SUV driven by Lopez.
A driver in a pickup truck traveling southbound on McHenry also collided with both the Mitsubishi and the Toyota, while another driver in a Ram van struck the Mitsubishi.
Escoto and her passenger, Francis Catano, were pronounced deceased at the crash site.
Patricia Lopez, the SUV driver, along with her passenger, one-year-old Clara Howells, were transported to the hospital. Sadly, they succumbed to their injuries.
This devastating incident has plunged their family into mourning.
“The mother is grappling with the loss of her child and mother within a single day. As first responders, preserving all human life is our solemn duty, but the involvement of a child makes it profoundly different,” expressed CHP spokesperson Officer Tom Olsen.
The drivers of the Ford and Ram vehicles emerged unscathed from the collision.
The influence of drugs or alcohol on the crash remains under investigation.