Sacramento, CA : A 44-year-old Salinas woman killed in a car crash on Tuesday, May 30, 2017

A 44-year-old Salinas woman killed over the weekend in a car crash in Merced County has been identified.

Nidia Torres died Sunday evening in a car crash on Sandy Mush Road. Her identity was confirmed Tuesday by the Merced County Coroner’s Office.

Torres was killed around 6:15 p.m. when she was thrown from the 2004 Ford Expedition in which she was a passenger, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The driver, 19-year-old Daniel Sanchez-Torres, and his three passengers were heading to the John Latorraca Correctional Facility to visit a family member in custody, authorities said.

According to the CHP, the driver fell asleep and the vehicle overturned multiple times when he awoke and tried to regain control. The Ford rolled into a nearby field.

Investigators said Torres was seated in the rear of the Ford and wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. She was thrown from the vehicle.

A 25-year-old passenger in the front seat, Francisco Sanchez Pintor of Salinas, declined medical attention. His 6-year-old daughter was also in the car and complained of abdominal and leg pain. She was flown to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, authorities said.

Authorities said Sanchez-Torres has a driver’s permit but hadn’t yet obtained a license.

Neither drugs nor alcohol were factors in the crash.

Source :
Victim identified in deadly Merced County car crash