3 From Bay Area Killed In Central Valley Crash
CHOWCHILLA, Merced County (CBS / AP) -- Authorities said three Bay Area residents are dead and a fourth hospitalized after a head-on crash on a Central California highway.
The California Highway Patrol said the collision took place around 8 a.m. Tuesday after a semi-truck overturned and spilled its load of cotton bales, partially blocking lanes of Highway 152 near the Madera County city of Chowchilla.
The CHP said when 38-year-old Liwei Xu of San Leandro, who was driving a Volvo pulling a container trailer, swerved to avoid the overturned semi and the cotton bales, his car collided head-on with a Honda.
The three occupants of the Honda, all from San Jose, were killed in the crash.
Officials identified them as 49-year-old Thang Quoc Dang, 48-year-old Thuy Trang Dang and 54-year-old Thi Nguyen.
Xu was hospitalized with what the CHP described as moderate injuries.
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