3 Fil-Ams killed in Northern California car crash

CALIFORNIA, USA – Three Filipino men were killed in a head-on crash early morning Wednesday, April 22 (Thursday, April 23, in Manila) on the westbound side of Highway 50, a state freeway that runs from Interstate 80 in West Sacramento to the Nevada state-line in South Lake Tahoe.

The accident also killed the female driver of a Toyota Prius, which California Highway Patrol said was going the wrong way when it collided head-on with the pickup truck – a Ford F-150, where the 3 Filipino men were on board.

All 4 were declared dead at the scene.

Although authorities have yet to officially identify any of those involved in the deadly wrong-way crash, several people from Stockton, California, interviewed for this report confirmed the 3 men in the pickup truck were Filipinos.

Grace Bacareza told local TV news crew KCRA 3 that one of the men who died in the crash was her husband, Nick Bacareza.

She said her husband went out on the evening of Tuesday, April 21, with friends Pete and Antonio Kilayko. The 3 men were reportedly on their way back home to Stockton from Red Hawk Casino in Placer County when the tragedy struck.

Dinee Demesa, a health information clerk at the Good Samaritan Rehabilitation & Care Center, said it was a sad day for many Filipinos in Stockton, noting that Kilayko had helped many in the community prepare their yearly income tax filing.

The wrong-way driver reportedly drove up the Harbor Boulevard off-ramp and was swerving for 5 miles along the highway before it collided with the blue pickup truck carrying the Filipino men.

Another vehicle, a Hyundai Sonata, was involved in the crash – which placed the highway to a halt for hours – but the driver of the third car escaped only with minor injuries. CHP said the pickup truck burst into flames after careening out of its lane and crashing into the Hyundai Sonata.

Several witnesses placed 911 calls to report that a Toyota Prius was going the wrong way on the westbound side of Highway 50.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the Prius was registered to Dante Torres, 63, of Carmichael. Reports claimed the car was being driven by one of his daughters.

The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office will determine if alcohol was a factor in the crash. – Rappler.com