New Details On HWY4 Crash
Calaveras County, CA — The CHP has released the names of the victims involved in the head-on crash on Highway 4 in Calaveras County Friday afternoon that sent three people to the hospital with major injuries.
The wreck happened just before 2 p.m. on the highway near upper Utica Powerhouse Road between Murphys and Forest Meadows. The CHP reports Linda Gruneisen, 74, of Fair Oaks was driving a 2012 Toyota RAV4 eastbound on the highway when for unknown reasons she allowed the SUV to cross over the centerline into the path of Blanca Morales, 34, of Stockton driving a 2013 Honda Accord westbound. The vehicles hit head-on creating major damage to both and spreading debris across the highway.
The roadway was shut down for about 45 minutes as tow crews were stuck in traffic trying to reach the scene. Officers diverted motorists down Utica Powerhouse Road until the roadway reopened just before 3 p.m.
Gruneisen was airlifted to Doctors Memorial Center in Modesto. Morales and her lone passenger, Maria Morales, 63, of Stockton were taken by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto.