LOS BANOS, CA – On August 20, 2024, at approximately 10:58 PM, the Merced Communication Center (MCC) received a report of a crash on I-5 southbound, north of Nees Avenue. Medical personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene. Officers from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Los Banos area responded and conducted an investigation into the incident.
Preliminary findings indicate that a 21-year-old driver was operating a 2020 Dodge southbound on I-5 in the #1 lane, north of Nees Avenue, at a high rate of speed. Kevin King, the driver of a 2023 Volvo, was also traveling southbound on I-5 in the #1 lane and had come to a stop due to traffic.
For reasons still under investigation, the driver of the Dodge failed to notice the stopped traffic ahead and swerved to the right in an attempt to avoid a collision. Despite this maneuver, the left front of the Dodge struck the right rear of the Volvo’s trailer, causing major damage to the Dodge and moderate damage to the rear of the Volvo’s trailer. The Dodge ultimately came to rest on its wheels on the west shoulder of I-5, facing east, while the Volvo pulled over to the right shoulder, north of Nees Avenue.
Tragically, the driver of the Dodge sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The passenger in the Dodge, identified as Jaylene Lasarga, suffered major injuries to her left leg and was airlifted to Memorial North Hospital in Modesto. Kevin King reported no injuries as a result of the crash.
No media was present at the scene, and at this time, drugs or alcohol do not appear to be factors in the collision.
For further information, please contact Los Banos Area Public Information Officer, Officer Shannon Stiers, at (209) 826-3811.
