The Merced County Coroner in an updated car accident report named Joseph Haddad, 63, and Brenda Haddad, 53, as the fatal victims of a collision on Interstate 5, south of Los Banos, California. The coroner made the identification on Monday, July 13th.
Deputy Daryl Allen said that the victims were both from the Contra Costa County area of the state. According to the California Highway Patrol, Joseph and Brenda were involved in a multiple-vehicle collision that happened on Saturday, July 11th, near the John Erreca Rest Area.
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The investigators said that at about 4:30 p.m., the northbound traffic on the roadway slowed and eventually stopped. However, a big rig failed to slow down and crashed into a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Joseph with Brenda as his passenger. The collision’s impact caused the smaller vehicle to roll into another, which started a chain reaction crash with other cars.
The CHP said that one other motorist suffered moderate injuries and received treatment in a hospital. The investigators diverted traffic from the affected roadway onto Nees Avenue while collecting evidence. They ruled out the involvement of drugs or alcohol, and they believe that the big rig driver was distracted and didn’t notice the slowing traffic.
Distracted driving is one of the common causes of motor vehicle collisions. Drivers are distracted when they engage in activities like eating, calling, texting, or conversing when driving. It takes about three seconds for a distracted driver to crash; thus, motorists must maintain their focus at all times, and keep their eyes peeled to the road.
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.