3 Dead, 3 Injured In Fatal Ceres Collision

Three people were killed in a crash involving a car and big rig on Highway 99 in Ceres.
“I have never seen anything like that,” said Rich Freitas whose home is near the crash site.
Three men died just outside Freitas’ house when a big rig smashed into the back of a Cadillac on Highway 99 near East Whitmore Avenue.

“I was just like, ‘whoaaa!’” said Freitas.CHP says just before 6:30 a.m. the Cadillac carrying six men was traveling southbound when it started to slow down.
“At this point we don’t know exactly what happened with the Cadillac. It appears it was slowing or stopped in the number 3 lane for some unknown mechanical failure,” said CHP spokesperson Ofc. Chuck Leon.
Leon says the Novelty Express big rig came up behind the car and tried to slow down, but couldn’t and slammed into the rear of the car.“It’s loaded with frozen dough. It weighs over 40,000 pounds,” said Leon.
Three men in the backseat of the car were killed instantly. The other three are recovering at the hospital with serious injuries.

“When I saw the Cadillac I was like, ‘that’s just wrong.’ It looked like it was just completely cut in half because the whole backend was just smashed,” said Freitas.
The impact sent the truck down an embankment. It took crews several hours to upright the truck and haul it away. The driver of the truck was uninjured but very shaken by the incident.