A Modesto man on his way to work Friday morning was killed in backed up commuter traffic in the northbound lanes of Highway 99 just north of the Austin Road overcrossing.
Antonio Cuevas, 42, reportedly died at the scene after his 1991 Ford Explorer collided with a semi-truck rig driven by William Sydenstrickeer, 67, of Mustang, OK. Having gotten stuck on the front of the semi both the SUV and semi-truck careened into the concrete freeway divider, a CHP spokesman reported.
Manteca firefighters cut Cuevas out of his crushed car with the Jaws of Life.
Highway patrol public information officer Angel Arceo related that Cuevas was traveling northbound at between 55 and 65 miles per hour when he came upon commuter traffic that had come to a halt.
He is believed to have lost control of the Explorer when he hit his brakes and collided with the rear of a van, causing his vehicle to turn into a second lane where he hit a Dodge Charger spinning that car out.
The Cuevas vehicle moved forward into the center lane where it was hit broadside on the driver’s door by the big rig. The two vehicles became entangled and moved in unison into the number one, fast lane, and struck a Dodge Intrepid before colliding into the concrete barrier.
Larry Leal, 56, of Salida received minor injuries, but refused treatment, the CHP said it its report. Other drivers were James Logue, 36, of Modesto, and Shelley Chase, 52, of Modesto.
The morning commute traffic was backed up beyond Ripon and into Modesto with the number one and number two lanes being closed for nearly three hours.
A second fatal accident occurred at about 8 a.m. south of Tracy on the 580 freeway south of Chrisman Road Friday morning that involved a van that rolled over carrying eight individuals. In addition to the one fatality, the CHP reported that two other victims were seriously injured and were evacuated by helicopter to a trauma center.