Fatal Crash On HWY 26 In Calaveras County
Valley Springs, CA— One person was fatally injured, and two others were flown from a three-vehicle crash yesterday afternoon in the Valley Springs area of Calaveras County, with those involved ranging in age from 14 to 25 years old.
The deceased is a 17-year-old male from Valley Springs whose name has not been disclosed. He was pronounced dead at the scene. On Wednesday (05/07/2025), around 4:30 p.m., CHP officers responded to a report of a collision on Highway 26, east of Farris Drive and south of La Contenta Golf Club.
CHP spokesperson Officer Jeremy Cooper relayed that the unnamed 17-year-old male driver in a 2010 BMW 335i sedan, traveling eastbound on the highway, crossed into oncoming traffic for unknown reasons. The vehicle struck a 2021 Toyota RAV4 SUV, driven by 25-year-old Jessica Hernandez, also from Valley Springs, head-on. Following that vehicle was 22-year-old Molly Bauer from Angels Camp, who was driving a 2017 Subaru Legacy sedan that struck the rear end of the SUV, but she was not injured in the crash.
The driver of the BMW and a 14-year-old passenger in the SUV were flown from the scene with major injuries, while Hernandez was taken by ground ambulance to a local hospital after sustaining moderate injuries.
Cooper reports, “Alcohol is not suspected as a factor in this collision, and the incident is under investigation.”
