One person is dead after a fiery collision Thursday morning on Highway 108 west of Jamestown between a tow truck hauling an SUV and another vehicle that the California Highway Patrol identified only as a 2003 Honda.
The crash occurred about 9:10 a.m. as the Honda was traveling east on Highway 108 east of La Grange Road near Keystone and a 2013 Ford F650 tow truck hauling a 2001 Ford Excursion was going west, the CHP stated in a news release Thursday afternoon.
According to the release, the unidentified driver of the Honda traveled onto the highway’s south shoulder and overcorrected, turning the vehicle to the left and crossing over the broken yellow line into the path of the oncoming F650 driven by Joshua Selesia, 37, of Sonora.
Selesia, who survived the crash with moderate injuries, turned the F650 to the right and traveled partially onto the shoulder when the right side of the Honda struck the left side of the tow truck, the release stated.
The CHP stated that the Excursion was dislodged from the flatbed of the F650, which came to a rest straddling the north shoulder and an embankment, while the Honda spun and came to a rest straddling both traffic lanes.
After the vehicles came to a rest, the release stated, a fire ignited in the Honda and fully engulfed it in flames before spreading to the F650 and Excursion.
Selesia was taken to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto for treatment of his injuries, the release stated. The driver of the Honda was pronounced dead, with their identification pending confirmation by the Tuolumne County Coroner’s Office.
The CHP stated the cause of the crash is under investigation, though drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be a factor.
