The crash occurred at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 6, 2026, on SR-99 south of Howsley Road
Sutter County, CA – Authorities have identified the two people killed in a head-on collision on State Route 99 in Sutter County Tuesday evening.
The Sutter County Sheriff’s Office identified the two deceased parties as 45-year-old Gabriel Rodriguez Maldonado and 42-year-old Maria Cristina Alarcon-Abarca, both of Chico.
The crash occurred at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 6, 2026, on SR-99 south of Howsley Road
Investigators believe a sedan traveling south crossed the dirt median into the northbound lanes and collided head-on with an SUV before overturning into a ditch.
Maldonado, who was driving the sedan, and Alarcon-Abarca, the front passenger, were pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger in the sedan was airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center with major injuries.
The driver of the SUV suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.