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A crushed Cadillac was all that was left after a big-rig rear-ended the car on Highway 99 near Modesto, killing three people. (Photos: Modesto Bee | modbee.com)

Triple-fatal truck accident: Three people were killed Monday when a big-rig rear-ended their car on Highway 99 in Ceres, about 5 miles south of Modesto.

•   Six men were in a disabled car on Highway 99 when they were struck from behind by a big-rig.

•   Three of the men in the back seat of the car were killed immediately.

•   The other three men in the car were hospitalized with serious injuries.

•   The truck driver was not hurt. 

The deadly highway accident occurred just before dawn, at about 6:20 a.m., according to a report in the Modesto Bee.

California Highway Patrol officer Chuck Leon said a southbound  Cadillac with six people inside was either traveling very slowly or stopped in the slow lane of Highway 99, possibly due to a flat tire, when the accident occurred.

A big-rig driven by 43-year-old Varinder Badial of Yuba City was traveling southbound at about 57 mph when it hit the Cadillac from behind.

The impact crushed the rear of the Cadillac, killing three men in the back seat. The men were identified as  Jose Jaime Botello-Herrera, Erasmo Tello Jaimes, and a third man whose name was withheld pending notification of his next of kin. The Bee reported that Botello-Herrera and the unidentified man were in their 20s, while Jaimes was in his early 50s.

A fourth man who was riding in the back seat, 18-year-old Bryan Aranda, survived but suffered serious head injuries. The driver of the car, 53-year-old Rogelio Reyes Leon, suffered major injuries, and the front seat passenger, 26-year-old Antonio Lopez, suffered moderate injuries. All three of the men were hospitalized.

All of the men in the car were migrant workers who were traveling to a local farm to install sprinklers, according to the Bee report.

The truck driver was not injured.

Leon said the CHP does not suspect that drugs, alcohol, or texting were involved in the accident.

Fresno Truck Accident Lawyers

Two drivers were hospitalized after a big-rig crashed on I-10 in Baldwin Park. (Photo: Carlos Aviles | Baldwin Park Patch)

Two drivers were hospitalized with head injuries Tuesday after one of them lost control and his big-rig jacknifed on Interstate 10 in Baldwin Park.

•   A truck driver lost control of his big-rig, crashed into the center divider, and jackknifed across the freeway.

•   An approaching tank truck was unable to avoid crashing into the jackknifed big-rig.

•   Both drivers suffered head injuries and were transported via ground ambulance to USC Medical Center to be treated.

The truck accident occurred at 7:19 p.m., according to a Baldwin Park Patch news report.

California Highway Patrol Officer Kerri Rivas told the Patch news site that 59-year old Elias Rivas of Carsol was driving a big-rig eastbound in the No. 3 lane of Interstate 10  when the accident happened. His rate of speed was unknown.

Rivas  veered to the left for unknown reasons and crashed into the center divider wall.  The tractor trailer went completely out of control and jackknifed across three freeway lanes, Officer Rivas said.

A 2011 Ford tank truck, driven by 29-year-old Miguel Martinez of Rialto, was traveling eastbound in the No.2 lane at about 45 mph and was unable to avoid crashing into the jackknifed big-rig. The impact damaged the big-rig’s fuel tank. About 50 gallons of diesel fuel spilled onto the freeway.

Both drivers suffered moderate head and bodily injuries, Officer Rivas said. Both of them were conscious at the scene. They were transported to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center to be treated.

Authorities closed all lanes of the freeway for about three hours in order to clear the scene and clean the oil spill.

The accident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Baldwin Park CHP office during normal business hours at 626-338-1164. After hours, witnessed may contact the Los Angeles Communications Center at 323-982-4900.

Baldwin Park Truck Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented truck accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Six people were injured in a big-rig crash in San Clemente. (Photo: San Clemente Times)

Truck accident: Six people were hospitalized Monday after a big-rig ran a red light at the end of a freeway exit and caused a four-vehicle pile-up in San Clemente. Two of the victims were in critical condition.

•    A truck exited I-5 and blew through a red light, toppling the traffic signal and causing a four-vehiclepile-up.

•    Two SUVs, a BMW sedan, and another big-rig were crashed in the chain-reaction crash.

 •   Six people were hospitalized. Two of them were in critical condition. The errant truck driver was not injured.

The crash occurred at about 10:40 a.m., according to a report in the San Clemente Times.

Yolanda Topete, a community service officer with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, said a big-rig exited southbound Interstate 5 at Avenida Pico and ran through the stoplight on the offramp. The truck plowed right through the intersection and then continued up onto the southbound freeway onramp.

After it ran the light, the truck crashed into a GMC sports utility vehicle and knocked down the traffic signal, according to the San Clemente Patch news site. Then it slammed a Volvo SUV, demolishing the passenger side of the vehicle. The violent impact spun the Volvo around and it crashed into a BMW.  Finally, the BMW crashed into a Coca-Cola truck.

Two fire engines, a fire truck, and four ambulance responded to the scene.

Orange County fire battalion chief Ron Roberts told the Times that the Volvo’s air bags deployed and the two occupants were trapped inside. Firefighters had to cut the car to free the two victims. Roberts said it was a ”complex extrication.” Both of the victims suffered critical injuries and were taken by ambulance to the Level II trauma center at Mission Hospital to be treated.

There was a family of four inside the BMW. All of them were injured, though not critically. They were also were taken by ambulance to Mission Hospital, Roberts said.

No other injuries were reported.

California Highway Patrol Captain Sandra Houston said both of the southbound I-5 freeway ramps (on and off) were closed at Avenida Pico. Sheriff’s deputies restricted street traffic west of the freeway. Houston said the ramps were expected to remain closed until at least 2:30 p.m. while officers investigated the crash, a CHP helicopter took aerial photos of the scene, and Caltrans workers assessed damage to traffic signals that were demolished in the wreck.

San Clemente Truck Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented truck  accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.