Three dead, children hurt in Highway 99 crash near Madera
Three people died, and three others, including two children, were seriously injured after a wrong-way driver caused a crash near Madera on Highway 99 early Sunday.
The California Highway Patrol said Samantha Pena, 24, of Fresno, was driving a 2010 Toyota Corolla north in the southbound lanes of Highway 99 near Avenue 11 just before 3 a.m.
The Corolla hit a 2006 Ford Explorer that was in the number two lane, killing Pablo Barba, 67, and Catalina Barba, 69, both of Orange Cove, and Pena.
The head-on crash flipped the Explorer and left the Corolla blocking the number one lane.
Two boys, ages 12 and 13, and 26-year-old Valentin Barba were taken to the hospital with major injuries, CHP said.
Pena, Pablo Barba, the driver of the Explorer, and Catalina Barba, the rear middle passenger, were all wearing seatbelts and were pronounced dead at the scene, CHP said.
The crash is still being investigated and it is not known yet if drugs or alcohol were factors.
Ashleigh Panoo: 559-441-6010, @AshleighPan
This story was originally published July 29, 2018 at 10:46 AM.