Clara Howells, Patricia Lopez Obituary, Death – According to the California Highway Patrol, a tragic accident in Stanislaus County on Tuesday claimed the lives of four individuals. The collision involved four vehicles and occurred around 4 p.m. on McHenry Avenue near Escalon, just north of Hogue Road.
Preliminary investigations reveal that a 19-year-old woman was driving a northbound Mitsubishi sedan with a 22-year-old male passenger when the vehicle suddenly veered into the southbound lane. The Mitsubishi collided head-on with a Toyota SUV driven by a 60-year-old woman, who had a one-year-old child in the car.
Tragically, both the man and woman in the Mitsubishi lost their lives at the scene of the accident. The one-year-old child and the 60-year-old woman were rushed to nearby hospitals, but unfortunately, they succumbed to their injuries.
The family has identified the young child as Clara Howells and the 60-year-old woman as Patricia Lopez. Crystal Marshall, Lopez’s eldest daughter, expressed her shock and grief, emphasizing the importance of cherishing loved ones. Marshall described Clara as an energetic and spirited child, much like her grandmother.
Lopez had been babysitting Clara and was en route to drop her off when the collision occurred. Marshall expressed her sorrow, stating that while Clara and her grandmother are now together in heaven, Lopez was a loving grandmother to Marshall’s three children, who will deeply miss her.
Following the initial collision, a Ford pickup truck struck both the Mitsubishi and Toyota, while a Ram van collided with the Mitsubishi. Fortunately, neither of the drivers of these vehicles sustained any injuries.
Authorities have yet to determine if drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.