The California Highway Patrol has identified the two motorists
killed in a collision Monday as Perfecto Soliz, 47, and Rita
Vazquez, 30, both of Los Banos.
The California Highway Patrol has identified the two motorists killed in a collision Monday as Perfecto Soliz, 47, and Rita Vazquez, 30, both of Los Banos.
Soliz was driving a white Dodge Neon eastbound on Highway 156 when his car was struck by a tan Mazda MPV southbound on Highway 25, according to a CHP report. Vazquez was sitting in the back of the Dodge on the driver’s side, said Officer Chris Armstrong of the Hollister-Gilroy CHP.
It’s not clear who’s at fault, Armstrong said, because authorities are still investigating which vehicle entered the 25-156 intersection on a red light.
The other Dodge passengers – Carmen Gonzalez, 37, and Vianey Romero, 29, also of Los Banos – were airlifted from the scene by Calstar, according to the report. Both sustained moderate wounds and are being treated at area hospitals for lacerations and complaints of pain.
The Mazda was occupied by two Hollister men, 21-year-old Pierre-Blaude Wayne-Marks, the driver, and 19-year-old Zane Poletti, according to the CHP report. Wayne-Marks received minor lacerations, but neither of them was taken to the hospital.
Both vehicles were traveling at 55 mph, according to the CHP report. The collision was not caused by drugs or alcohol.
Armstrong has said the deaths were the first on Highway 25 since 2002.
“This was due to driver error,” he said. “It has nothing to do with the intersection. … Highway 25 has proven to be a safe highway.”
With the Thanksgiving weekend approaching, local highways will be “pretty jammed” and drivers need to be careful, Armstrong added.
