A 17-year-old Merced youth was injured in a two-car collision
near the intersection of Highway 156 and Union Road when his car
struck the rear of a sport utility vehicle, the California Highway
Patrol said Monday.
A 17-year-old Merced youth was injured in a two-car collision near the intersection of Highway 156 and Union Road when his car struck the rear of a sport utility vehicle, the California Highway Patrol said Monday.
The youth, whose name was not released by the CHP because of his age, was taken to Hazel Hawkins Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and later released, the CHP said.
The 9:25 a.m. accident happened when Alberto Cardenas, 40, of San Juan Bautista was eastbound on Highway 156 in a 1995 Dodge Durango. When Cardenas was just west of the Union Road intersection, he slowed to make a left turn into a driveway, the CHP said.
Cardenas was waiting for a break in traffic when a 1989 Chrysler sedan, driven by the youth, was eastbound on Highway 156 approaching Cardenas’ SUV at an unsafe speed, the CHP said.
The youth stepped on the brakes trying to avoid the Durango but his car struck the rear of the SUV, causing moderate damage to both vehicles, The CHP said.
The initial investigation indicated that neither drugs nor alcohol played a role in the accident. Cardenas was not injured and neither driver was cited. However, a citation can be issued by mail, the CHP said.
The crash is still under investigation.
