SUV flips on Highway 99, sending pregnant woman to hospital

An SUV with four occupants flipped on northbound Highway 99 between the Olive and Belmont exits Saturday afternoon, sending a pregnant woman to the hospital with minor injuries, said Officer Cory Walczak with the California Highway Patrol.

The accident happened about 4 p.m. after the driver of the Lincoln Navigator SUV tried to avoid another car that had spun out in front of him. The female driver in that car was trying to pass traffic but lost control of her vehicle and almost hit the center divider, Walczak said.

The driver of the SUV drove up the embankment to avoid the spun-out car and flipped his SUV over, landing back on Highway 99.

The SUV’s female passenger was taken to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno. There were no other injuries, the CHP said.

One of the teenage passengers in the SUV said he, his brother, his father and his father’s girlfriend, who is 8 weeks pregnant, are from Bakersfield and were on their way to visit family when the accident occurred.

This story was originally published December 3, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "SUV flips on Highway 99, sending pregnant woman to hospital."