Two vehicles approaching the transition ramp to southbound Highway 99 collided in the eastbound lanes of the Highway 120 Bypass Tuesday afternoon during the homebound commute.

A red Pontiac Grand Am driven by Patricia Clemens, 43, of Modesto had been distracted by a child in her back seat as traffic slowed in front of her, according to a CHP officer on the scene.

Clemens reportedly hit the rear of a Toyota Corolla driven by Lysigna Christiansen, 35, of Turlock, glancing off the rear of her vehicle, crossing over the inside lane and colliding with the concrete bridge abutment.  The vehicle careened back into the outside lane and came to a stop next to the guard rail.

Clemens was reportedly transported to Doctors Hospital in Manteca while Christiansen was taken to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto.

The accident forced the closure of one lane of traffic for about 45 minutes.