Two drivers killed in head-on crash along Highway 99 in Sutter County, CHP says
Two drivers were killed in a head-on crash Wednesday evening on Highway 99 in Sutter County, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP and fire personnel responded shortly after 8:30 p.m. to Highway 99 near Oswald Road, about 5 miles south of Yuba City, where a 2016 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck and a 2016 Toyota RAV4 SUV had collided, the CHP’s Yuba-Sutter office said in a news release.
Investigators determined that the pickup, driven by a 74-year-old Brentwood man, was heading north on Highway 99 and crossed into oncoming traffic and struck the SUV, driven by a 69-year-old Yuba City woman in the southbound fast lane.
Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. The drivers were the only occupants of each vehicle, CHP officials wrote, and officers were unable to locate any direct witnesses to the crash.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The roadway was closed in the area for about two hours, according to the CHP.
Highway 99 near Oswald Road is a notoriously dangerous stretch of roadway in Sutter County, with a similar head-on crash killing both drivers in 2019.
Following a deadly crash last month involving a big rig, KCRA reported that Sutter County officials are working with Caltrans to have a stoplight installed at the intersection by 2026.
The intersection is controlled in only one direction, by a stop sign on Oswald Road. Wednesday’s crash happened about a half-mile south of the intersection.
Sutter County has been researching improvements for Highway 99 at Oswald Road since at least late 2019, at one point considering turning the intersection into a roundabout. County officials say improvements are needed for safety, as well as to address truck congestion that has increased in recent years.
