TCFD photo
Sonora, CA – In one of the first collisions of the new year in Sonora, speed was a factor, according to the CHP.
The crash happened Monday (Jan. 3) just before 2 p.m. on Highway 108. The CHP reports that 33-year-old Alexander Mendenhall of Sonora was driving his 2015 Ford Mustang eastbound approaching the Mono Vista and N. Sunshine roads intersection. Spokesperson Officer Steve Machado detailed he was traveling in excess of 80 miles per hour while coming over a hill. Meanwhile, 71-year-old Murriel Jaynz Kelly of Soulsbyville was turning left from Mono Vista Road in her 2016 Subaru Outback onto the highway.
Machado states, “Due to Mendenhall’s high rate of speed, the front of his vehicle struck the left side of Kelly’s vehicle, as can be seen in the provided pictures. Kelly suffered minor injuries and was taken by ground ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. Mendenhall was not injured. Machado noted, “Luckily both the involved drivers were wearing a seatbelt, and drugs and/or alcohol are not determined to be a factor.”
The collision remains under investigation.
Written by Tracey Petersen.
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