GONZALES — A head-on crash involving a wrong-way driver on Highway 101 in Gonzales killed two people early Sunday morning.
On June 18, at about 3:34 a.m., California Highway Patrol (CHP) Monterey Communication Center received a call of a multi-vehicle crash that occurred on Highway 101 in the area of Gloria Road, later determined to be just south of Fifth Street in Gonzales.
When CHP units arrived on scene, the roadway was covered with debris and the involved vehicles had significant damage.
According to CHP’s initial investigation, a red 2004 Dodge Neon was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes and crashed into a black 2015 Honda Civic. The Dodge Neon was located in the center median and the Honda Civic was on the right shoulder.
The driver of the Dodge Neon was pinned within the driver seat and died as a result. A rear passenger was also found dead on the ground after being ejected from the vehicle.
On Tuesday, the deceased were identified as brothers Eduardo Hernandez Matias, 25, and Oscar Hernandez Matias, 28, both from Soledad. Donations are being accepted through GoFundMe to support their family with funeral expenses.
The right front passenger and a second rear passenger in the Dodge Neon were transported for major injuries. One of the passengers was semi-coherent and “related he and his friends were coming from a bar in Soledad,” CHP said.
In the Honda Civic, the driver was pinned in the driver seat with multiple leg fractures, and a female passenger was out of the vehicle with complaint of pain injuries. Both occupants were transported to Natividad Medical Center.
A GoFundMe has also been set up by the driver’s family to cover medical expenses.
Highway traffic was initially flowing slowly through the scene but was stopped for safety reasons so medical personnel could extract the subjects from the center median and right shoulder. Traffic was diverted onto Fifth Street, while the southbound lanes remained closed before reopening later that morning.
