Two elderly women were killed and several others were hospitalized after an 18-year-old driver allegedly blew through a stop sign and caused a violent two-car crash in Fresno County, authorities said.
The collision happened shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Auberry Road and Old Millerton Road near Millerton Lake, approximately 25 miles northeast of Fresno and four miles west of the community of Millerton.
According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, an 18-year-old woman from Clovis was driving a Toyota with three passengers when she allegedly failed to stop at the intersection and slammed into a Nissan driven by an 88-year-old man.
The Nissan was also carrying three passengers, meaning eight people were caught up in the devastating crash.
The impact sent both vehicles careening off the roadway and into a nearby embankment.
Yvonne Cheney, 88, of Auberry, was riding in the Nissan and died at the scene.
A second victim, 94-year-old Nellie Moreno of San Joaquin, was a passenger in the Toyota. She was rushed to a hospital but later died from her injuries.
Authorities said the teenage driver had been traveling with her grandmother and two younger siblings. The two children were treated at the scene and released.
The 18-year-old suffered major injuries and was hospitalized.
The 88-year-old Nissan driver, who is from Prather, and two other passengers in his vehicle were also taken to the hospital with injuries described as moderate to major.
Footage from the scene showed the Toyota with its front end almost completely destroyed. The Nissan suffered severe damage to its front and rear passenger side, while doors on the left side of the vehicle appeared to have been torn away.
Debris, including broken car parts and what appeared to be a shoe, was scattered across the dry, grassy embankment.
Investigators believe the teen caused the crash by failing to stop at the intersection, though the collision remains under investigation.
Authorities said drugs and alcohol do not currently appear to have played a role.
