The fatal crash occurred at approximately 7:41 p.m. on Sept. 26 on Taft Highway (SR-119), west of Harrison Road.
Taft, CA – Authorities have identified two of the three people killed in a three-vehicle head-on crash on Taft Highway in Bakersfield Saturday night, according to the Kern County Coroner’s Office.
The Kern County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Jose Ivan Martinez Birrueta, a 29-year-old Bakersfield resident, and the, and Nathan Steve Martinez, a 26-year-old man from Bakersfield. Birrueta was driving a 2015 Mercedes sedan, and Martinez was a passenger in the Mercedes.
The fatal crash occurred at approximately 7:41 p.m. on Sept. 26 on Taft Highway (SR-119), west of Harrison Road.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a 2020 Ford Ranger traveling eastbound collided head-on with a westbound 2015 Mercedes sedan for reasons that remain under investigation. A 2018 Honda HR-V traveling behind the Mercedes then entered the crash scene and was struck by debris from the collision.
The driver of the Ford also died, but the victim has not yet been identified and is listed as a John Doe. The driver of the Honda, a woman from Santa Maria, sustained major injuries and was transported to a hospital.
Investigators have not determined what caused the Ford and Mercedes to collide. CHP said whether alcohol or drugs contributed to the crash remains under investigation.
The fatal crash remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.