Tragedy struck on a Saturday morning in Sutter County as a high-speed crash resulted in the death of three individuals, according to the California Highway Patrol. The fatal incident, which occurred along Highway 99 near Tudor Road just north of Highway 113, involved a head-on collision between a Dodge Challenger, which was speeding southbound, and a Nissan Sentra traveling in the opposite direction. ABC10 reported that the Dodge allegedly veered across solid, double-yellow lines leading to the devastating crash at around 11:40 a.m.
The Sutter County Coroner's Office identified the victims as Shane Loudermilk, 20, of Gridley; Juan Diego Soto Castro, 43, of Yuba City; and Ricardo Joso Soto Castro, 48, of Yuba City—the latter two were occupants in the Nissan, while Loudermilk was driving the Dodge, in the crash that involved seven people in total, two in the Nissan and five in the Dodge. After the collision, three passengers from the Dodge were hospitalized and a fourth was picked up by a relative, the road where the crash took place was closed but has since reopened, the California Highway Patrol noted the role of alcohol, as they found drugs and alcohol in the Dodge and believe they were a contributing factor in the crash.
Following the incident, which closed northbound Highway 99 for several hours, all lanes have since been reopened. KCRA reports that the California Highway Patrol has stated that drugs and alcohol were found in the Dodge vehicle, and officers suspect that they were a contributing factor in the collision. The investigation into the precise causes of the accident remains ongoing.
