According to the California Highway Patrol, the wreck was reported around 1:25 p.m. on Highway 108 at Sunshine Road in Soulsbyville.
Tuolumne County, CA – Two drivers were severely injured in a multi-vehicle collision that happened Thursday afternoon at an intersection near Sonora.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the wreck was reported around 1:25 p.m. on Highway 108 at Sunshine Road in Soulsbyville.
Authorities said the incident started when the driver of a Mercedes SUV, identified as 84-year-old Judith Hastings of Sonora, was driving eastbound on Highway 108 when she slowed to make a left turn at Sunshine Road. At the same time, 20-year-old Quinn Clarke of Jamestown was driving a Ford Mustang westbound on Highway 108, approaching Sunshine Road.
Investigators said Hastings failed to yield to traffic and proceeded to make the left turn directly into the path of the Mustang. The front of the Mustang crashed into the side of the Mercedes. The vehicles came to rest off the roadway.
Multiple law enforcement agents and emergency personnel, including CHP officers, Tuolumne County sheriff’s, Tuolumne County firefighters, Cal Fire, and Twain Harte firefighters, responded to the scene.
Hastings and Clarke sustained serious injuries in the accident. They were transported to Modesto hospitals, with Hastings requiring airlifting.
Drugs and alcohol are not believed to be contributing factors.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
According to recent years’ car crash data, Tuolumne County’s traffic safety profile is defined by a high rate of severe collisions relative to its rural population. According to 2023 and 2024 California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) data, the county ranked 4th worst out of 58 counties for total fatal and injury victims per capita. The county’s primary safety crisis involves impaired driving. It has recently ranked 2nd worst in the state for alcohol-involved collisions and 1st for crashes involving “had been drinking” drivers under age 34. Additionally, Tuolumne ranks 1st in California for motorcycle fatalities per 100,000 residents, driven by high-speed incidents on winding mountain routes like Highway 108 and Highway 49. While pedestrian and bicycle incidents remain low, the frequency of nighttime crashes and “hit-object” collisions reflects the dangers of the county’s rural geography.
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