A head-on collision on Abbott Street just south of Salinas killed three young adults on Sunday night, including two Southern California college students and a Monterey County teenager, authorities said. The crash happened around 9:04 p.m. when a Honda CR-V traveling north drifted into the southbound lane and struck a Nissan Altima head-on, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Victims Identified as Students and a Local Teen
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office identified the three people killed as 19-year-old Abigail Tinoco, 18-year-old Sebastian Burgos, and 18-year-old Noah Trevino, as reported by CBS News. Tinoco, a UCLA sophomore training to become a nursing assistant, graduated from Downey High School. Burgos, a UC Santa Cruz freshman studying biology who hoped to become a veterinarian, was from Downey, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Trevino was a Soledad resident riding as a passenger in the southbound Nissan Altima, according to KSBW.
Two of the three people in the Honda CR-V, which was carrying passengers from Los Angeles County, were pronounced dead at the scene, while one passenger in the Nissan also died at the scene, per the CBS report. The Honda's driver, a 21-year-old woman from South Gate, was hospitalized with major injuries. The Nissan's driver, a 20-year-old man from Soledad, and a remaining Nissan passenger, also a 20-year-old man from Soledad, were likewise taken to a hospital with major injuries.
Scale of the Emergency Response
Natividad Medical Center, Monterey County's regional Level II trauma center, was notified to prepare for up to 10 potential patients. A KSBW reporter saw six ambulances arrive at the center, according to the same report. The crash site was near the entrance to the Firestone Business Park, per the Pacific Attorney Group.
CHP has said that alcohol and drugs were not factors in the crash, and investigators have not determined whether speed played a role. The exact reason the Honda CR-V crossed into oncoming traffic remains unknown. The agency is asking anyone with information to call (831) 770-8000.
A Corridor Under Scrutiny
Statewide, traffic fatalities in California fell nearly 11 percent, from 4,539 in 2022 to 4,061 in 2023, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. Yet federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System data show Monterey County alone recorded 304 fatal collisions resulting in 332 deaths between 2017 and 2023, underscoring how severe multi-victim crashes continue to cluster on semi-rural arterials like Abbott Street even as statewide numbers improve.
Sunday's crash follows other recent fatal collisions in the region, including a fatal Porsche crash near Prunedale in September. CHP's investigation into Sunday's collision remains ongoing, and the cause of the Honda's lane drift has not been determined.
