Jose Ortacotto, Michelle Cotto Rodriguez, Elba Melendezdeorta, and Jose Ortacarmona die in fatal Tuolumne County crash
Four individuals from Puerto Rico lost their lives in a devastating traffic accident Wednesday evening in Tuolumne County, California.
The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the victims as 56-year-old driver Jose Ortacotto, 52-year-old Michelle Cotto Rodriguez, 72-year-old Elba Melendezdeorta, and 83-year-old Jose Ortacarmona. All four were occupants of a Jeep Grand Cherokee involved in the crash.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the collision occurred just before 6 p.m. near the intersection of Shaws Flat Road and Highway 49. Investigators stated that Ortacotto came to a stop at a stop sign on Shaws Flat Road but then proceeded into the path of an oncoming Dodge Ram traveling approximately 60 mph on Highway 49.
The front end of the Dodge Ram struck the driver’s side of the Jeep, pushing the vehicle onto the west shoulder of the highway. All four occupants of the Jeep suffered fatal injuries as a result of the crash.
The Dodge Ram was driven by an 18-year-old man from Jamestown, who sustained moderate to serious injuries. Authorities have indicated that neither alcohol nor drugs appear to have played a role in the incident.
