The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, California, on Thursday, June 18th, disclosed the identities of the men whose lives ended in a fatal car crash in the county. The updated accident report revealed the victims’ names as Jorge Maciel, 29, and Salvador Ponce Espinoza, 47, both of San Jose.
According to the county police spokesperson, Nicco Sandelin, the cause of Maciel and Espinoza’s death remains unknown. The two men died after the box truck they were traveling in went off a section of Highway 108 near Sonora Overpass. It happened precisely around the 9000-elevation mark on the pass at a hairpin turn, just west of Mono County line.
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California Highway Patrol Sonora Unit Officials said that the truck was seen in the Bridgeport area on Monday Night, June 15th. The wreckage that turned out to be the vehicle was discovered around noon on Tuesday, June 16th by a passerby who notified the police.
Shortly afterwards, the first responders arrived and pronounced Maciel and Espinoza dead. An investigation uncovered that the men were heading west at an unknown speed down the grade when the driver failed to negotiate a sharp right-hand turn correctly. The box truck traveled across the opposing lane went off the road and collided with a tree and a large granite rock.
The truck rested in Deadman Creek, with its content strewn about. County Environmental Health Director, Rob Kostlivy, determined that fuel and possible hazmat materials escaped the vehicle, and carried out a sweep of the area.
Disclaimer: The Safety Watch article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.
The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Safety Watch’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.