Hail on road may be to blame for fatal accident in El Nido

An El Nido man died and a woman and three children were injured after a collision with a freightliner in Merced County on Sunday morning, said Sgt. Eric Zuniga with the California Highway Patrol in Merced.

Around 11:35 a.m., the 40-year-old man, a 38-year-old woman, a 12 year-old boy and two girls, ages 5 and 6, were in a Nissan Armada driving south on Highway 59 near Washington Avenue. A freightliner carrying 17,000 pounds of paper goods was in the northbound lane when one of the vehicles crossed over into the wrong lane.

The front of the freightliner hit the left side of the Armada, said Zuniga. The man was taken to the hospital, where he died about an hour later. The four passengers were also taken the hospital, but are expected to survive.

The driver of the freightliner, a 53-year-old man from Kerman, was not injured.

Hail on the road from a passing storm may have contributed to the accident, Zuniga said.

The accident is still being investigated and Highway 59 is closed in the area.

This story was originally published March 5, 2017 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Hail on road may be to blame for fatal accident in El Nido."