A Northern California woman was killed and another seriously injured Friday evening, struck by a vehicle while standing outside their own disabled SUV to tend to two young children inside of it, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The fatal crash happened around 7:40 p.m. Friday on Live Oak Boulevard in unincorporated Sutter County, CHP’s Yuba-Sutter office said Monday in a news release.
The incident involved a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse and a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. The Traverse had been heading northbound on Live Oak near Eager Road when it was involved in a minor-injury crash that caused it to end up disabled in the southbound lane, facing west, according to the CHP. The 44-year-old and 54-year-old women, both from Gridley but not named by authorities, exited the vehicle to tend to a 4-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy in the back seat, the CHP news release said.
Moments later, the Equinox traveling south on Live Oak collided with both women and into the stalled Traverse, which was blocking the road. The driver, a 77-year-old Yuba City man, told authorities he did not see the vehicle or either pedestrian in dark conditions, according to the news release. All of those five occupants, along with an 82-year-old Yuba City woman riding in the Equinox, were taken to hospitals.
The 54-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries, and the 44-year-old was hospitalized with injuries classified as major, according to the CHP collision report.
The 4-year-old girl suffered moderate injuries and was transported to a Marysville hospital. The boy, 2, was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, with the extent of any potential injuries not indicated by the CHP. Both were wearing safety equipment, the collision report shows.
The Yuba City man and woman were also taken to the hospital in Marysville, with the driver’s injuries described as minor and the passenger’s injuries not classified.
The incident remains under investigation, and no arrests have been made. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash, CHP officials said.